


To Love A Superhero

by Maisey2k10



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/M, Family, Humour, Post-War, Pre-endgame, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:02:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 76,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21774148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maisey2k10/pseuds/Maisey2k10
Summary: High School wasn't easy. Leading a double life wasn't easy. Being a teenage superhero wasn't easy. Being the youngest and least experienced member of the Avengers wasn't easy. But falling in love? That was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and yet, he didn't regret it. He didn't regret meeting Hermione Granger. Rated for language, violence and sexual content. HGxPP pairing!
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Peter Parker
Comments: 37
Kudos: 204





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and Marvel. I am not making a profit from writing and posting this fanfic. Rated for language, violence and sexual content.
> 
> This takes place after Homecoming and Infinity War hasn't yet happened, and also, neither Tony nor Natasha are going to die because I said so and I'll be making big changes to stop that from happening. Also, the Avengers are still one big happy family and they never broke up. Yay!
> 
> I've also upped Peter's age to seventeen to close the age gap a little more, and he's also going to be taller. As for the Harry Potter Universe, I'm making it so the war ended a year earlier but everything that happened in canon still happened, just a lot sooner. Just go with it, it's less confusing that way.
> 
> This is Peter's POV.
> 
> This the first time I'm posting something to this site. My primary site is fanfiction.net and I've built up quite the following over the last three or so years. I've had quite a few of my readers express interest in me branching out and posting my works on other sites, so here goes. I'll likely only be posting completed works on this site and only one's I've re-edited. But if you are interested in completed-not-yet-edited work or writings in progress (I have quite a few) then feel free to pop on over to the FFN. I also have crossovers with HP/Twilight, HP/Supernatural, HP/Merlin and HP/TeenWolf, as well as HP by itself. Hermione Granger is my primary character, always.
> 
> Page Count: 29

His head pounded as if he'd just had a train dropped on him. His body ached and his muscles were sore. The ground beneath him was cold and hard, not helping his aching body in the slightest.

The sound of New York traffic, people hailing cabs and honking horns filled his ears. He could feel the breeze tousling his hair and brushing against his skin, it being a nice escape from the sun beaming down on his face. He heard movement from nearby but couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, not yet, not when he was still absorbing the pain.

A cold, soft fabric pressed against the bare skin of his left side jaw, it both stinging and soothing at the same time and he let out a noise that was a cross between a groan and a sigh and he felt his body relax further against the hard ground.

A second soft, damp fabric was pressed against his forehead, brushing his hair back from his eyes before it was gently swiped across his skin, his forehead tingling as the breeze reacted to the dampness it left behind and he tilted his head a little when he felt the fabric leave his skin.

As he adjusted, the sounds around him dulled and he was able to focus a little more on what was happening, and that's when he realised, the fabric was pressed to his _skin_ , not his mask.

Unable to stop himself his eyes flew open, squinting in the sunlight until his eyes adjusted to the brightness and he turned his head to the side, his eyes widening at the sight that met him.

It was a woman, though she looked more like a teenager, probably around his age, he thought. She was sat on the ground beside him, her denim-clad legs tucked under her and her face partially turned away from him as she dug through the contents of one of the bags that were beside her. She had long mahogany coloured hair that fell down to the middle of her back, her curls looking wild and untameable and the sun shone down on her, making it look soft and shiny. From the perfect tips of her hair and given how healthy it looked, he suspected she'd recently had it cut.

His eyes trailed over her clothing. Her feet were covered by black converse, her denim jeans looked snug around her hips and ankles and she had rips in the knees like he'd seen most of his school peers wearing. She had on a slightly oversized t-shirt with a large logo printed on the front but he didn't recognise it, and he spied a jacket being on the ground behind her feet.

His eyes moved up to her face, seeing her pale skin and her little button nose with a few freckles covering the bridge of her nose. She had thin eyebrows, pink lips with the bottom looking a little fuller than the top and a frown pulled at her brow and her teeth bit into her lip as she focused on her task. He admitted to himself that she was pretty.

There was something about her. He could feel it, his spidey senses telling him that although she wasn't a danger to him, she was different.

Her head turned and he found himself getting caught in the biggest, brownest eyes he'd ever seen. Her expression was one of surprise and intrigue and worry and she let out a puff of air as her teeth slowly retracted from her lip.

He definitely hadn't been expecting what came out of her mouth, or he should say, the way it came out of her mouth, the accent behind it. She was British.

"Oh, thank heavens you're awake, I was a little worried I'd have to take you to hospital," she said, and whilst doing so, she reached over and pressed the soft, damp fabric to his forehead once more, not taking her gaze from his. He got the feeling she'd done this before, that he wasn't the first person she'd taken care of.

"What happened?" He asked. There were many questions running through his mind but that one seemed the most logical and the easiest to articulate.

She gave him a little smile, it was comforting. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," she answered him, her voice being gentle on his sensitive hearing. "I was walking down the street when I just happened to look up at the rooftops and I saw you hit the ground. I knew it wouldn't be right if I just left without making sure you were alright, so, I put on my big girl pants and climbed onto the roof where I found you passed out."

"Huh?"

"I'm terrified of heights," she explained. "Like _really_ terrified, but I put that aside to make sure you were okay."

He tilted his head away from her and in the opposite direction, leaning further into the soft fabric swiping across his forehead and he caught sight of the rooftop of the building next to him, seeing some of his webbing being stuck to the side of it.

He remembered now. He'd been stopping a robbery in progress and that led to a chase through the city with the police not far behind him. In the process of catching the criminals and saving the lives of the civilians that had been run off the bridge during the chase, he'd banged his head so hard he saw stars. He supposed he'd managed to stay conscious long enough to get away to safety so no one would discover his identity, but then again, the girl next to him had now seen his face. He turned his head to look at her.

" _Are_ you feeling okay?" She asked, genuine concern in both her voice and her eyes. "I don't know what happened but you do have a bit of a bump on the back of your head and you've been out for about fifteen minutes. Should I take you to the hospital?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you," he replied.

He dug his elbows into the ground before pushing himself up, his body and muscles protesting against the movement and he groaned in pain before falling back down. Before he could bang his head again, he felt her hand catch him and taking the brunt force of hitting the ground. Well, now he felt guilty.

"You really shouldn't move, not yet," she said. "And you should do your best not to fall asleep either, head injuries can be serious so you really should get it checked out. I'm no doctor and I did the best for you, but that scrape on your jaw's a little nasty looking, too. You probably did it when you fell."

"I'll be fine, I heal quickly," he said.

She smiled at him. "Lucky you, I bang my arm and I've got a bruise for weeks," she said.

He looked up into her eyes once more, they were big and bright and soft, but he got the feeling that was just on the surface. There was something beneath all of that, something he couldn't quite see or understand, but he knew it was there.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, terribly sorry, you must think me strange," she shook her head, her wild curls bouncing at the movement and some of them draping over her shoulder and falling into her face. He felt his mouth twitch in amusement when she huffed in annoyance, blowing it out of her face only for it to fall back into place and then she shoved it back over her shoulder. "I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger," she smiled.

Pretty name, he thought.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He asked. She laughed lightly, the sound sending a shiver down his spine and his skin tingling before it had even reached his ears.

"No, I suppose my accent gave that away. I recently moved here. I've only been here a week and trust me to find a stranger that needed patching up whilst I was doing a bit of exploring."

His eyes darted to the bags beside her and he looked down at her hands, seeing a bottle of water and noting that the fabric she'd been using on him was a white t-shirt, and it still had the tags on it. It was recently bought but likely the only thing she had with her to help tend to his wounds and now he felt extra guilty.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, obviously seeing where his eyes had landed. "I tend to wash all of my newly bought clothes before wearing them anyway, a habit I picked up from my mother," she smiled, but this time he noticed her smile wasn't as easy or bright and the corner of her eyes tightened slightly. "So, what's with the suit?" She asked.

He blinked slowly, was she trying to be funny or did she genuinely not have a clue about who he was? He looked to her, seeing the genuine confusion on her face.

"Er, well, I'm Spider-man," he said with a slight wince, knowing he really wasn't supposed to let anyone see him in his suit without his mask, but then this wasn't actually his fault, not really.

"Oh," she said, understanding flashing across her face. "The superhero, right? I've heard about you." She smiled and he felt his face heat up. "Not a lot of people would have the bravery or selflessness to do what you do," she said softly and his face reddened at her words, feeling both embarrassed and touched. "And I'm sorry I didn't recognise you, even with the suit, I've been living under a rock for the last few years and haven't been paying much attention to the outside world," she said, her eyes again tightening at the corners and her smile seeming less easy, but she shook her head. "Anyway, you should be alright now, do you want to try and stand up?"

"Er, yeah, sure," he answered, pushing himself up on to his elbows and pausing for a moment. He might've had super strength but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when being slammed into the side of a truck or that his muscles and body didn't ache after lifting and pulling numerous cars back onto a bridge.

"Do you need me to help you?" She asked, a worried frown pulling at her face.

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"Well, if you fall I'll make sure to catch you," she promised. He raised an eyebrow. "I'm a lot stronger than I look."

She moved from no longer sitting on the ground but to crouching beside him, watching him carefully as he bent his legs, planting his feet on the ground and using his hands on the floor to push himself up. She was beside him instantly, her hands gently grasping his suit covered wrists and helping to steady him when he had a little wobble once he'd gotten to his feet.

"Maybe we should sit you down instead," she suggested and he didn't stop her when her hands released his wrists and she brought one up to his shoulder, gently guiding him backwards until he felt his calves hitting a slab of stone and he sat down.

He squeezed his eyes shut and brought his head down to rest in his palms, bending over and bowing his head.

"Here,"

He opened his eyes to see the water bottle he'd seen earlier and he lifted his head slightly to look at her, seeing her crouching down in front of him.

"Well, it's been a while since someone's been afraid of catching my cooties," she said amused. "Not to worry, I only bought this because the shop owner wouldn't let me use the bathroom unless I purchased something, so it hasn't been anywhere near my mouth."

He frowned but shook his head and reached out, accepting the bottle from her, bringing it to his mouth. The water was still cool which he thought a little odd, especially given the unnatural heat they were experiencing, but then he supposed she must've bought it not long before helping him. He admitted that he did feel a little better and the water had been refreshing.

"You keep hold of that, just in case," she said after he'd tried to hand it back to her, though he supposed she had no use for it now. "I really think we should get you to a hospital," she spoke.

"I'll be fine," he said. "I'm already feeling better, a few more minutes and I should be back on my feet." She didn't look convinced but she otherwise nodded.

Unfortunately for him, loud sirens sounded not too far away.

"Oh, that's a bit of bad luck," she said. "Are you feeling up to it?"

He lifted his head and gave her a small smile. "Have to be," he replied.

She smiled at him, beamed really and he felt himself gulp at how beautiful she looked with her perfect white smile, her little dimples and the sun shining down on her.

"Well, off you go, Mr. Spider-man," she said brightly. "Go be a superhero, just be careful you don't make your head injury worse, and don't fall asleep for at least a few hours."

He nodded before searching for his mask, remembering that he'd been the one to pull it off before he passed out. He spied it across the other side of the rooftop and rather than walking over to it, he lifted his hand and shot out some webbing, pulling it over to him and catching it in his hand.

"Show off," she teased and he found himself smiling at her.

She rose to her full height and he noted that while she wasn't small compared to other girls he'd seen, -her probably being average height- she was definitely smaller than his own height of just being under six-foot.

He walked over to the edge of the roof and climbed up, turning to look back at her, his mouth opening but no sound leaving him.

"I get it, secret identity," she nodded. "I won't tell anyone, not that I _have_ anyone to tell that is. I'm the new girl with no friends. I doubt we'll see each other again given the population and your superhero schedule, so, thank you. Thank you for being what this world needs. Thank you for standing up and taking care of those that can't."

He felt his stomach twist and turn at her words, his face heating up at the soft look held in her eyes, the way the sun shone on her face and the wind tousled her hair.

He took a deep breath. "Thank you for helping me."

She smiled. "I only did what anyone else would've," she replied. "As it is, it's nice to be able to repay you for all the good you do."

"They wouldn't have, probably be too busy taking pictures and tweeting about the kid under the mask," he said.

"You are a little younger than I expected you to be," she admitted. "But if you're a hero, you're a hero," she said, her smile faltering a little.

"You're the nicest person I've ever met," he commented.

She smiled, it brighter this time and she laughed at him. "You haven't seen me when I'm mad, I've been told I'm quite terrifying."

"I don't believe that," he said, his gaze locked on hers. "Don't let this place change you," he said, gesturing to nothing in particular.

The sirens grew louder and he turned to look off into the distance.

"Off you go, I'm sure they could do with your help."

He looked back at her once more, before pulling his mask on over his head, hiding his face from view.

"Thank you," he said, before he propelled himself off the building, shooting out a web and swinging his way towards the sirens.

~000~000~000~

A week later found Peter wandering down the street and towards his favourite deli, Delmar's, for his usual after-school snack.

As he walked, absentmindedly moving this way and that to dodge the foot traffic and avoid walking into people; his mind wandered to the girl who'd helped him.

It'd been a week since the incident and his Aunt May hadn't been happy see to his scuffed jaw when he'd finally gotten home that Friday evening, but it had already started healing by that point. He hadn't told her about the kind girl who'd taken care of him during his vulnerability, not wanting her to worry about another person knowing his identity and being able to reveal it to the world. But not only did she not know his name, he believed her when she'd promised she'd keep it to herself. He got the feeling that she wasn't a liar.

And despite a week having past, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the beautiful girl who'd shown him kindness, who'd been grateful for all that he did. It wasn't often someone thanked him for saving them and even still, he hadn't been the one to help her, it'd been the other way around. He tried to forget about her knowing he'd likely never see her again, but he couldn't. She was just too memorable to him. It wasn't just her beauty, it was her kindness, it was the strange sense he got from her, her seeming to feel different but not at the same time.

He often found his thoughts wandering to her when he was in class, eating lunch, doing homework, walking down the street, even when he was chasing after criminals. He wondered where she was, how she was finding her move to New York, how she was doing, _what_ she was doing. He honestly did try to forget about her and he'd found himself in detention for being late to class after being caught up in his thoughts, but he just couldn't seem to forget her.

Sighing, he crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk, at the same time as someone took a step back, standing on his foot and bumping into him.

A feminine gasp sounded and the scent of vanilla invaded his nose as the wind blew her hair into his face.

"Oh, I'm ever so sorry," she said, and he found himself freezing. He knew that accent.

She turned around to face him, her eyes widening and the apologetic look leaving her face and being replaced with surprise. They stared at each other silently before she shook her head and a smile pulled at her mouth.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Superhero," she smiled. "I never thought I'd see you again, but I'm not going to lie, you look very different without your suit," she said.

He looked down at himself, seeing his sneakers, denim jeans and hoody with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He supposed she was right; he did look different when wearing the suit.

"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you," she said, ducking her head sheepishly.

"You've apologised already," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets, being both nervous and surprised that he was seeing her again. What were the chances of that happening in a city as big as New York?

"Oh, sorry, British thing," she smiled and he chuckled at her. "I take it you're feeling better? Your jaw certainly looks it," she said in surprise, obviously seeing there wasn't a mark in sight.

"Thanks to you," he nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?"

"Oh, right," she shook her head, pushing her curls out of her face. "I'm afraid to say, I'm lost," she said guiltily.

She gave the map in her hand a little shake, bringing notice to it. He hadn't seen it before, but now that he looked down at her, he saw her wearing black ankle boots with dark jeans and it was completed with a plaid shirt and a jacket over the top.

"I've always been a bit rubbish at map reading, but it seems this one's more confusing than usual," she said.

He chuckled at her, removing his hands from his pockets to readjust the strap of his backpack.

"Where are you tryna get to?" He asked.

"Well, my neighbour said there's a lovely bakery somewhere near here, but didn't specify where so I'm just wandering around like a lost puppy," she said and his mouth twitched in amusement. "But I need to find a butcher's, too."

"I know where you mean, do you want me to show you?" He asked politely.

She smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I wouldn't want to take time out of your superhero schedule."

"Well, it's my job to help others, isn't it? By helping you I'm just doing my service to the city."

Her mouth twitched. "I suppose you are, nicely played," she responded. "Well, if you're not too busy I'd be grateful for your help."

"Alright then, just follow me, you're not actually that far off," he said, stepping around a couple making out by a street light and she did the same, falling into step beside him. "So, how are you finding New York?" He asked.

"It's definitely different from home, but at the same time, it's so similar. The people, or the majority of them, I've noticed are just as rude. I've asked several people for directions and they either ignored me or gave me the finger, except for that group of boys who were quite vulgar with their words and actions towards me."

He frowned. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, you can't control the actions of others and trust me, it doesn't reflect badly on you. Besides my neighbour, a lovely old lady, you're one of the few people to have shown me kindness," she smiled.

He cleared his throat. "So, where was home for you?" She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't want to just assume it was London. I know it's the most popular city and usually, the first one someone thinks of when they hear a British accent, but I'm educated enough to know London isn't the only British town or city."

She beamed at him, her eyes bright and her dimples making an appearance. "Well, that's very thoughtful of you not to assume, but I'm sad to say, I _am_ from London. My friends from school, however, came from all over Britain. One was from Manchester which is an English city, one was from Brighton which is a seaside town and some were from Devon which is a county. I suppose you're right about assumptions, most don't seem to realise that not every Brit is from London, and of course, we all have our own lingo and accents depending on where you're from in Britain. Those from the North East tend to be a little harder to understand," she explained.

"And your accent?"

"If you're from London, you're a Cockney," she said, her mouth twitching when she saw his eyebrows rise in surprise at the term. "And you?"

"New Yorker,"

"Oh, I'm a little disappointed, that's not very creative," she frowned slightly and he chuckled at her.

"And Brits are?" He asked.

"I'd say so; if you're from Liverpool you're a Scouser, Newcastle a Geordie, Sunderland a Mackem and Birmingham a Brummie."

He blinked slowly before laughing, shaking his head. "I didn't understand half of what you just said but yeah, you Brits are definitely more creative."

"I'll take the compliment and run with it before you impart far better nicknames for regions in America," she replied. "Oh, is this it?" She asked, coming to a stop in front of the butchers and being jostled as someone bumped into her. He couldn't stop the scowl that he trained on the retreating back of the businessman.

"Sure is, and the bakery's across the street," he pointed out, it being directly opposite them.

"Well, thank you, you're a lifesaver. Well, I _know_ you are, but still, you get what I mean," she said, making for the door.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow and looked to the door questioningly. "Just to make sure they don't try to take advantage of you, my Aunt comes here quite a lot and they're known to try and swindle more money out of tourists," he said.

In reality, he just wanted an excuse to spend a little more time talking to her. He didn't know why, because their conversation hadn't been particularly interesting or important, but there was something about her. Something he needed to understand and he was hoping the longer he was able to stay close to her, the easier it would be for him to figure out what it was that made her feel so different.

"Erm, alright," she said.

She made for the door again but he smoothly moved past her and held it open for her. He received a smile in reply and he stood beside her whilst she ordered her items, and while most of it was normal, he did give her a second glance when she asked for chicken's feet and pig's eyeballs, but he didn't comment; to each their own, he thought.

With her bags in hand, they left out the door and crossed the street, him taking note that she ordered more chocolate cupcakes than she did vanilla, that she chose both chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, and she inquired about having a birthday cake made. He looked to her curiously but she didn't specify who it was for. They left the bakery, coming to a stop on the sidewalk.

"Well, I truly appreciate your help, I would've just stood there all day before giving up and going home, and I wouldn't be surprised if I got lost doing that, too. I thought London was confusing but you take the trophy," she said and he chuckled at her. "I hope I didn't derail your plans too much."

In all honesty, they'd travelled in the opposite direction to where he'd wanted to be and he was starving, but he didn't regret helping her. It'd taken no more than twenty minutes and he'd gotten to see her again, and now that he knew a little more about her, he hoped that would cure his need to solve the mystery that was her, and that she'd no longer fill his thoughts and he could get on with his life.

"You didn't," he said. "Say, are you hungry?" She raised an eyebrow. "I just know this great deli that I usually visit after school, I thought about heading that way before going home."

She looked at him curiously but otherwise nodded. "I'm not going to lie, I'm starving, I haven't eaten since breakfast."

He frowned as he started walking back in the direction of Delmar's. "You shouldn't skip meals," he scolded.

She smiled, though not as bright and her eyes seemed to tighten again. "I didn't do it on purpose," she told him. "I left my home this morning and after running a few errands, I got lost and spent the rest of my time trying to find the butchers and bakery. And I tend to be a little cautious about where and what I eat. You've got a few foods here that I'm apprehensive about eating and I wasn't sure which food establishments were well reviewed and which were dodgy and could give me food poisoning."

He chuckled, seeing her point. "Well, I promise you'll love Delmar's," he replied.

"I'm trusting you with this," she said, her mouth pulling into a smile. "Don't be letting me down, or I might have to tell the world Spider-man has awful taste in food," she teased.

"Please don't," he pleaded jokingly. "They'll lose all respect for me and never let me help another defenceless old lady again."

"If it were me, I'd lock you up and throw away the key, it's criminal," she replied and he laughed at her, crossing the street once more and stepping around a parked car at the side of the road. "So, school? Just how old are you?" She asked.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and swallowed. Should he tell her? But then he couldn't see the harm in it, not really when she knew his face and his alter-ego.

"Seventeen," he answered.

"Bloody hell," she said in surprise, before shaking her head, a fond look crossing her face as she looked off into the distance, making him curious as to what she was thinking about. "It must be difficult to manage school and be a superhero," she mused.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I manage; my Aunt makes sure I don't fall behind on homework."

"She knows?" She asked and he nodded. "That's good to hear, it's always nice to have someone fighting in your corner, someone that's there to take care of you and keep you on track."

"So, hold old are _you_?" He asked.

"How old do you think I am?" She responded.

He had to be very careful here. He remembered what his Aunt had told him about women and their ages. If he said the wrong thing he could offend her, but he honestly didn't believe she was older than she looked.

"My age?" He guessed.

"Near enough," she smiled. "I'm eighteen."

"Did you move here with your parents?" He asked.

"No," she responded, sadness in her tone and when he looked down at her, he saw pain flicker through her eyes before it was gone. "They erm...They died last year, and I have no siblings, it's just me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly, knowing the pain of losing your parents as he'd been through it himself. She smiled sadly. "If you don't mind me asking, how did they die?"

"I don't like to talk about it," she said quietly.

"I won't pry," he promised. That response had him curious but he was respectful enough to back off. If she didn't want to tell him it was likely something awful, but then again, he was technically just a stranger to her. "I'm Peter, by the way," he blurted out.

She looked up at him in surprise, likely realising that she hadn't yet learned his name.

"Well, Peter, it's nice to officially meet you, and in case you don't remember, I'm Hermione," she smiled.

He'd remembered; it wasn't a name you heard often.

When he saw Delmar's up ahead he pointed it out to her and as he had before, he held the door open for her and followed her in, watching as she took in her surroundings.

"You didn't tell me this was a grocery store," she said.

"Was I supposed to?" He asked confused.

"No, just as it happens I need a few things. I'd planned on getting them on the way home but I suppose you've just saved me the trip. You go ahead and get your food; I'll be right behind you."

Despite her words, he didn't leave her and followed her around the store, even helping to carry a few of her items. He took it as an opportunity to examine her a little closer, seeing the way she frowned slightly when looking at a product she didn't recognise, seeing the way she nibbled at her lip as she chose between two different brands of the same product, the way her nose scrunched up as she picked up a food item and put it back, deciding she _definitely_ didn't want it, or the way her eyes focused as she looked over prices and descriptions.

When she'd finished he took note that she'd selected items that were in the mid-price range, so she wasn't exactly poor, but not exactly wealthy either, and he noted that she'd purchased some bread, eggs, a bottle of ketchup, some candy bars and some canned fruit and he helped her carry them to the counter and he received a look of surprise from Delmar but he shook his head, letting him know not to ask and he curiously took the items and rang up the sales as he packed them away for her.

"I haven't seen you 'round here before," he said and Peter rolled his eyes, but leaned against the counter.

She smiled at him. "I've recently moved to the area," she replied.

Delmar look surprised by her accent but shook his head. "I see you know Peter," he commented.

"He saw me looking like a lost little puppy and took pity on me when no one else would."

"I'm sorry to say we're not the nicest bunch, especially when we're in a rush," he said.

"Peter more than made up for it with his kindness," she said, sending him a smile and he felt his face heat up when Delmar looked to him also, an amused smile tugging at his mouth. She took the bags from the counter and set them on the floor and Delmar looked to him.

"The usual," he said knowingly.

"Yep," he nodded and then he looked to Hermione expectantly. She looked a little overwhelmed as she looked up at the menu on the wall, likely not knowing what half of the items were. "Make that two," he corrected and she looked to him. "Trust me?"

"I barely know you," she replied. "But if this is awful, remember my promise," she said and his mouth twitched in amusement.

He offered to pay for hers and she outright refused, before they both left with their sandwiches and her arms laden with shopping bags, which he offered to help carry but she turned him down on that, too.

"I suppose this is goodbye," she said, him noting that their bodies were facing in the opposite direction.

"I guess it is," he nodded.

"Right, well, thank you again for all your help, you truly have been a lifesaver," she smiled. "I doubt we'll see each other again, after all, what are the chances?" She chuckled. "Look after yourself, Mr. Superhero," she said, as she turned and crossed the street, not looking back.

~000~000~000~

Two weeks past and he honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. He'd thought that since he'd learned more information about the girl who'd helped him and he'd finally had the chance to repay the favour, that he'd no longer think her a mystery to solve, that he'd no longer think about her and he'd be able to focus, but he was wrong.

It seemed to have gotten worse as now, he was dreaming about her!

He wouldn't be as alarmed if the dreams were sexual in nature; after all, she was a pretty girl and he a hormonal teenage boy. But they weren't! They were completely innocent and that's what worried him. In his dreams they'd be up on the rooftop or walking down the street together, just talking and laughing, him having the opportunity to learn more about her. He knew Ned had started watching him closely, being worried about him, but Peter had just told him it was superhero stuff that was weighing on his mind and thankfully Ned had believed him, but that didn't stop him from keeping an eye on him when they were at school.

He knew the chances of them meeting again were slim, especially given the two-plus million people that resided in Queens and he'd already met her twice. He didn't believe in fate.

But then maybe he should.

It was getting late and he was doing a final few laps throughout the neighbourhood before he headed home and climbed into bed, needing to get some sleep for school in the morning. As he swung past an alleyway and turned onto another street, he automatically jumped from his web and onto the side of a building, his eyes locking instantly on the woman walking down the street.

Even in the darkness and being several buildings away, he'd recognised those wild curls and the way they swung a little as she walked anywhere. He could hear her humming to herself, a tune he didn't recognise, but she didn't appear to be listening to music so she was aware of her surroundings and not as open to an attack. Still, he didn't like the idea of the girl that showed him kindness walking down a dark street by herself, especially when there were far too many alleyways for his liking.

He couldn't have stopped himself even if he'd wanted to and he soon found himself shooting out some webbing and following after her, hiding out in the shadows so she wouldn't see him. He followed her for several blocks without issue and just when he was about to talk himself into letting her go along without his watchful eye, his hearing picked up on several voices and the hairs on the back of his neck seemed to stand on end when he realised they were drunk.

He sped up his movements to get closer to her as he knew there was a bar a little further up ahead and she was approaching it and he really didn't like the way his heart pounded in his chest and a tingle went down his spine.

The group of men he'd heard made an appearance, stumbling out from a dodgy looking building, putting them right in her path and before he knew it, the catcalls and whistling started. She froze in place, her humming stopping and he saw the way her shoulders tensed and her hands clenched into fists, but she shook her head and kept on walking, straight past them.

He felt the blood rushing to his brain, his breathing picking up and his head pounding as he saw them following after her, but she didn't respond. She didn't speak, she didn't freak out and she didn't run; she just kept on walking down the street.

He saw one of the men speed up in his steps and Peter really didn't like where this was heading and without thought, he fired some webbing and swung around until he was no longer behind them, but in front of them, and he was approaching her face on. He moved so quickly that she hadn't seen him coming and before he knew it, he'd swooped down, his arm wrapping around her waist and holding her tightly against his body as her feet left the ground and he carried her away with him.

She let out a shriek of surprise that was muffled when she pressed her face into his chest and her arms wrapped around him, holding onto him for dear life as though she were afraid he'd drop her, but with his strength, she barely weighed the same as a pebble. A second shriek sounded from her, this one louder than the last, when he let go of the webbing and was free falling until he latched onto a building and swung around.

It would've been easier to use two hands but with one arm wrapped around her and holding her to him in hopes she'd be less frightened, he had to make do with just one web-slinging and swinging arm.

Seeing an empty rooftop and feeling her shaking against him, he quickly made his way towards it, noting that with the wind blowing against them her scent of vanilla invaded his nose. He landed on his feet smoothly and released his hold on the webbing, the arm holding her to him smoothed over her back, once, twice, before settling on her waist and giving her a gentle squeeze with his suit covered fingertips, and it seemed to bring her back to reality.

Her arms released from around his neck and she sprang back, her body no longer being pressed against his but several feet apart. He frowned, realising that he missed it a little bit. His eyes watched her carefully, seeing her shaking form as she leaned over, her head bowed, her hands on her knees and she breathed deeply.

"Jesus Bloody Christ!" She cursed and his eyes widened a fraction. "A little warning would've been nice," she said, finally lifting her head and she stared at him, her eyes wide and brimming with tears.

Hell! He hadn't meant to scare her. And that's when he remembered she'd told him she was _terrified_ of heights. He just hadn't realised how bad a case it was.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching up to remove his mask as really, there was no point in keeping it on as she already knew who he was. "I didn't mean to frighten you," he said sincerely and keeping his eyes open so she could see he meant it.

His Aunt always said he had expressive eyes and he was hoping that wasn't going to let him down this evening, and thankfully it didn't, as she slowly nodded as she released a huge breath. She stood up, her body still shaking and her skin had flushed pink, a light sheen of sweat shining on her forehead. She turned and headed for the bench where he could see several cigarette butts being on the ground beside it, and she sat herself down and he moved to sit beside her.

"I suppose I should say thank you," she said. "Trust me when I say, I'm not as defenceless as I look, but even I would've struggled with that many opponents, so your help was much appreciated."

"You're welcome," he responded, wondering what she'd meant about not being defenceless. Did she carry a weapon? Did she know a form of martial arts? Was it both? Was it neither? Did she mean something else entirely? He didn't know but he wanted to.

"So, am I to believe our meeting is just a coincidence?" She asked.

"I'd like to think so, but I don't believe in coincidences," he replied.

"No? Me either," she admitted. "Though it is a little strange this is our third time meeting without having any pre-arranged plans."

"I just happened to be swinging by," he replied and she laughed at his wordplay, pulling a smile from him. "I was just doing a final few laps about the neighbourhood before I headed home."

"Oh, I suppose it's a school night," she nodded. "Well then, you should probably get going, I've no doubt you need your rest."

"Ten more minutes won't kill me," he said, dropping his elbows to rest against his knees and clasping his hands together with his mask held between them.

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me, I've faced much worse things than a few drunken men."

"Like?" He asked.

"Terrorists," she replied with a straight face.

He stared at her before he started laughing, shaking his head. "I almost believed you," he chuckled and she gave him one of those less easy and tight eyed smiles he'd seen from her before.

"Seriously, I'm fine, you should get yourself home."

"How was the sandwich?" He asked, ignoring her words.

She rolled her eyes but she did answer. "You'll be glad to know your reputation will not be affected, but I feel I should tell you, it tastes a lot better when you add salt and vinegar crisps."

"Huh?"

"Right, sorry, the language barrier can be a bit of a pain sometimes," she shook her head slightly. "I believe you call then chips."

"You put chips in a sandwich?"

"Yes, and you should try it. In my opinion, cheese and onion are the best."

"So just butter some bread and fill it with chips?" He asked, finding it difficult to actually process what she was saying because it sounded so strange to him.

"That's it, and if you really want to have your mind blown, do it with fries, and now that I'm thinking about it, I might just have a chip butty when I get home. It's not even been a month and I already miss my British foods."

"Is that all you miss, the food? It must be hard for you moving somewhere that's so different than what you're used to."

"I don't just miss the food, I suppose I miss everything really. The rubbish weather, the lingo and jargon, my friends, I even miss the monetary system. It's taking me a little longer than usual to get used to the currency difference and the fact that I have to work out the VAT and tipping before I even buy something, back in Britain it's already done for you so the price on an item is what you pay at the till. I didn't know where to look when I took my chances on a diner and the waitress had to help me understand the nonincluded VAT, but she definitely earned her tip."

"I guess I never thought of it being confusing," he commented. "For me, it's always been that way."

She tilted her head and turned to look at him. "Ten minutes is over," she said.

He frowned slightly but nodded. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Her mouth pulled into a smile. "So you know where I live for future reference?" She teased. "No, thank you, I'll be fine."

"After what nearly happened, I don't feel comfortable in letting you walk home by yourself," he said.

"I'll get a taxi, don't worry about me. You better go; I'm sure you have someone at home waiting for you."

"My Aunt," he nodded. "Are you sure I can't take you home?"

She stood from the bench and he mimicked her actions.

"No, thank you," she said. "If I'm being honest, I'm not a big fan of the..." She lifted her hands and motioned swinging about on webs and he chuckled at her. "I'll be fine, so off you go. And this time I'm not going to comment about maybe running into you again, because the way we've been going so far, it's likely we might."

"I hope we do," he found himself saying, there being no filter between his brain and his mouth and she looked surprised by his words.

Feeling a little embarrassed, he slipped on his mask and hopped up onto the ledge before throwing himself off and swinging away. When he heard a sharp 'crack', he jumped onto the side of a building and turned to look behind him, being surprised when he saw the rooftop completely empty.

His eyes darted about in search of her on the street as well as the ladder on the side of the building, but he couldn't see her. He waited a few minutes in case she'd gone through the building and would exit out the door, but she never appeared. It was like she'd just disappeared.

"What the hell?" He muttered.

~000~000~000~

It was two weeks after he'd helped her escape from the clutches of some drunken men when he saw her on the street again.

His thoughts still seemed to be obsessed with her and since she'd disappeared from the rooftop without him seeing or without any explanation, his mind was in overdrive. He'd been hoping he'd bump into her again as he found that he enjoyed speaking with her no matter how trivial or strange a conversation it was.

She didn't treat him like a superhero, she didn't get flustered and excited like he'd seen others do when he was doing his patrols of the neighbourhood or helping to fight criminals. And whilst it was nice to be appreciated, he didn't become Spider-man for the fame and the glory. He did it because he felt it was the right thing to do, he did it because he had abilities that could make a difference to people's lives and it would be selfish to keep that to himself.

And Hermione, she didn't seem to care about his alter-ego, well not in that way. She spoke to him the same way whether he was in or out of the suit, she'd kept his secret as there'd been no news articles revealing his identity and she didn't seem to be intimidated by him or his job on the side.

He'd missed being able to talk to someone who didn't get flustered about knowing his secret. With Ned, it was sometimes a little difficult because although he was his best friend, he did have a tendency to get overexcited about his alter-ego and the friends he kept. With his Aunt, she was proud and she worried, but other than making sure he was keeping himself safe, she didn't tend to pry.

So when he happened to see her on a Saturday afternoon, he was pleased they'd managed to run into each other again, and by this point, he'd stopped trying to understand how and why they seemed to do so.

He'd not long since finished running some errands for his Aunt May and after dropping the groceries off at home, he had the afternoon to himself. With it being an unnaturally sunny day, he'd decided to do a few patrols of the neighbourhood and then take a walk, but when he'd spotted her from his place sat on the edge of a rooftop, he decided he'd done enough patrols for the day and slipped into the shadows to change back into his jeans, sneakers and t-shirt.

He was stood on the opposite side of the street, seeing her waiting in line at a food truck. She was dressed differently to how he'd seen her previously. Now she wore a pair of white converse on her feet, a pretty floral patterned sundress that fell to her mid-thigh and she wore a light blue cropped cardigan over the top with her hair left to flow down her back and glittery pins keeping her hair back from her face, and a strange looking purse hung from her shoulder. Even across the street he could smell the vanilla scent he'd come to associate with her, and as she stood waiting in line she hummed to herself and her body rocked from side to side slightly.

Taking a breath and reigning in his nerves –why was he nervous? - He crossed the street and came to a stop beside her in the line.

He saw her entire body tense as she slowly turned to look at him, before looking away and then looking back to him with wide eyes, her body relaxing and she let out a puff of air, realising who he was.

"Bloody hell," she cursed, her shoulders slumping. "You scared the hell out of me," she said and his mouth twitched in amusement.

"Sorry," he replied, readjusting his backpack on his shoulder and then slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Tell your face that," she said.

His mouth pulled into a smile. "What are you doing?"

"Food," she pointed in front of her. "I'm starving and thought I might as well put my big girl pants on and start trying new foods."

"Glad to hear that, unfortunately, I wouldn't start here."

She frowned. "Why not?"

He leaned in closer so those in front of them and those behind them wouldn't hear as he said, "It's known for using dodgy ingredients."

A grimace pulled at her face. "Fantastic," she sighed. "Well, my decision to take a chance and try something new is off to a great start."

He chuckled at her. "You know, I tried that thing you told me about, the chips in bread."

"And?"

"Not bad," he admitted and her mouth pulled into a smile.

"Told you so, now you just have to try it with fries, it's heaven on a plate. And considering I don't want to get food poisoning and you didn't lead me astray last time, any idea where I can get some food?"

"You ever had a corn dog?"

"What the hell's a corn dog?" She asked, looking confused.

He chuckled at her before he reached out, his hand gently encircling her wrist and he gave her a slight tug, pulling her out of her place in line. She didn't seem to mind him touching her but not wanting to push his luck, he released his hold on her and she fell into step beside him as they walked away.

"Shouldn't we tell the others about the dodgy food?"

"They're New Yorkers, they're used to it," he shrugged. "Besides, I don't care about them."

"But you do me?" She asked, her eyebrow cocked and looking at him questioningly.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. There was just something about her, something that seemed to pull him in and refused to release him.

Her question went unanswered as they walked in silence, but it wasn't awkward or tense, it actually felt quite comfortable. When they reached the corn dog stand he usually visited and they paid for their purchases, they walked off down the street, him watching her carefully for her reaction as she took her first bite. She chewed slowly and thoughtfully before wiping her mouth with the napkin in her hand despite not having made any mess.

"It's basically just a battered, fried sausage on a stick," she said, looking up at him.

"Pretty much," he nodded.

"Well, I'm not too fussed on sausages, fried at least, but this isn't too bad," she said, pointing her corn dog at him and then taking another bite.

They continued walking in companionable silence with no specific destination in mind until he spotted an ice-cream parlour up ahead and given that the hot sun was beaming down on them as they walked, he thought ice-cream might be a good idea.

"You want ice-cream?" He asked, gesturing just up ahead.

"Sure, what kind of person would I be if I turned down ice-cream when it was offered to me?"

Stepping into the building, he wasn't surprised to see that it was busy, mainly with families and young children. She ordered plain vanilla and he was going to comment until he saw what she did after. She split her ice-cream into quarters and in each section, she placed a different topping, one sprinkles, one nuts, one raspberry sauce and one chocolate sauce and she looked amused at his expression.

They managed to find themselves a little table in the back corner of the building and they sat opposite each other with her putting her back to the corner. He noted that her eyes scanned the room and its occupants before they returned to him and she picked up her spoon and slowly started to work on her ice-cream.

"So, I know you said you have no siblings and that your parents..." He cleared his throat, "Well, you know, but don't you have any other family?"

"No, it's just me," she shook her head.

"What school do you go to?" He asked curiously.

"I don't," she said and he frowned a little. "After everything that happened last year, I took my final exams out of school. I graduated almost a year ago."

That was interesting, he thought.

"Why did you move to New York?"

"Partially for a change, partially for a new job opportunity that I couldn't turn down."

"And what's that?"

"I can't tell you," she said. He raised an eyebrow. She leaned forward and he mimicked her actions until there was little space between them. "It's a secret," she whispered, before sitting back in her chair and spooning some ice-cream into her mouth.

"You know my secret," he pointed out.

Her mouth twitched. "Mine's bigger."

He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and watching her closely, his own mouth twitching into a smile when she smirked at him. They sat in silence, just watching each other until it was disturbed by a beeping sound.

She startled in her seat before releasing a breath and he watched as her hands disappeared beneath the table and he heard her searching through her purse. She pulled back, him being both curious and surprised when he recognised that the device she held in her hand was a pager.

Who still used pagers?

Her brow creased and her lips pursed before she let out a sigh and looked up to him.

"I'm sorry to say, I have to go, I've been summoned."

"By?"

"Nice try," she smirked, standing from her chair and he found himself doing the same. "Well, as always, it was a pleasure seeing you. I won't bother pretending like we won't see each other again because we both know we just might. Thank you for not allowing me to get food poisoning, and be careful Mr. Superhero," she said, giving him a smile, picking up her rubbish and putting it in the trash can as she left out the building, his eyes following her the entire time.

~000~000~000~

A week after the ice-cream parlour and on a Sunday afternoon found Peter walking through the park, on his way to finish the last of his errands for his Aunt. The weather wasn't as nice as it had been the previous week but it was by no means cold and he wasn't surprised to see the park filled with families having picnics, children playing and dogs chasing after balls and sticks that were thrown for them.

He'd like to say it was by accident that he'd seen her, but it wasn't. He'd just known she was there. Even before his eyes had spotted her he'd _felt_ she was nearby. The more time he spent around her, the more familiar she was to him. Knowing she was nearby, he let his eyes search his surroundings, looking for her in particular and he spotted her across the park and she was by herself.

He made the journey over to her and stopped beside her, seeing that she was laid on the ground on her back, her hands clasped on top of her stomach and covering the plaid shirt she wore. Black denim covered her legs which were stretched out and on her feet she wore black boots which came up to her knees, hiding her ankles that were crossed. Her wild curls were left free and her eyes were closed, her breathing even and deep. She almost looked as though she were sleeping but he could hear that her heartbeat was a little too fast for her to be sleeping.

"We really must stop meeting like this," she said.

He startled a little and blinked slowly. "How'd you know it was me?" He asked surprised.

Her eyes slowly opened and she turned her head to look at him, her eyes locking on his and her mouth pulled into a small, sleepy smile. Maybe she _had_ been dozing off, in which case, it was a good job he'd seen her before someone had tried to take advantage of her.

"It's a secret," she said. He rolled his eyes but stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Are you going to stand there all day?" She asked, turning to look up at the sky.

Shifting on his feet, he removed his hands from his pockets, shrugged his backpack onto the floor and lowered himself onto the ground beside her, laying down and mimicking her current position.

"What are you doing here today?"

"Relaxing,"

"You were falling asleep," he replied.

"Probably, I'm tired," she sighed.

He turned his head to look at her, seeing that she'd closed her eyes again. "Is this a work thing?"

"Sure is," she said quietly and now that he listened carefully, she did sound tired. "I had a twelve hour night shift, only got off about an hour ago and some of the patients weren't in a cooperating mood."

Patients?

"Are you a med student?"

"You could say that,"

"Doctor or nurse?"

"Neither, both," she said.

"I'm confused," he frowned. Didn't she say she wasn't a doctor the day they'd met?

She turned her head to the side and he did the same, getting caught in her big brown eyes when they fluttered open. "Good, I like confusing you," she admitted, her mouth tugging into a smile. "So, what's Mr. Superhero doing in the park on a Sunday afternoon?" She asked, turning to look back up at the sky.

He shifted to get more comfortable, one leg bending at the knee and his foot planted against the ground as the other leg remained stretched out, his arm came up to cushion the back of his head and his other fell from his stomach and to the ground between them. They were so close their shoulders were touching.

"Doing some errands for my Aunt," he answered.

"Should you not be doing that instead of being here with me?"

"I'd rather be here," he said, his face reddening as he hadn't meant to say those words aloud, so he continued quickly before she could comment. "She'll probably think I've been distracted with Spider-man duties. As long as I'm home before it gets late or I call her to let her know I'm going to be late, she's fine."

"Have you had any Spider-man duties today?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, a cat stuck in a tree, a mugger that stole an old lady's purse, an attempted robbery of a jewellery store and a dog stuck down a manhole."

"You've had a busy morning," she commented. "And here I am complaining about being tired."

"You didn't complain and you worked a twelve-hour shift and have yet to sleep, I slept eight hours and was prepared for today. Friday through to Sunday is usually a little busier than the rest of the week."

"You get any injuries?"

"I'm good," he replied.

"If you don't mind me asking..." He turned his head to look at her and she did the same, their gazes locking. "I've noticed that you only seem to mention your Aunt."

"She's my guardian, my parents died when I was a kid."

Her eyes filled with sadness and understanding. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said, like he had to her all those weeks ago. "It sucks, doesn't it?"

"It definitely sucks," he agreed and her mouth pulled into a small smile. "Don't get me wrong, I love my Aunt and I'm grateful for everything she's done and she's great, but..."

"But she's not your parents," she spoke softly. "I get it," she said, her hand coming down from her stomach and it slipped into his, giving him a gentle squeeze.

He noticed that it was a little cold and when she tried to pull it back, he gripped it tighter, refusing to let go. It felt comforting to have her hand in his and she didn't say anything so he took that as a bonus.

"Do you know why I became Spider-man?"

"If I did I'd be worried," she replied.

He snorted but shook his head. "My Uncle Ben was murdered a couple of years ago. He's the reason I help people."

Her eyes closed and she breathed deeply before they fluttered open and caught his gaze once more.

"My parents were murdered," she whispered.

His hand automatically tightened around hers but she didn't bring notice to it. It seemed they were more alike than he'd realised.

"Why do bad things happen to good people?"

She sighed. "I've no idea, maybe it's to test us, to see how we'd cope with such a travesty, maybe it's to make us better. After all, you became Spider-man and I... I can't tell you what I do, but I help people, too," she said.

Her eyes closed and her head tilted forward a little and without thought, he tilted his own head until their foreheads gently touched and he closed his eyes, too.

"Us orphans have to stick together," she said softly. "And I can't imagine how difficult it is for you to be Spider-man and if you don't wish to talk to your Aunt about it, then I'm here for you."

"That goes both ways, whatever secrets you're keeping, if you want to tell me I'll listen, or if you want to talk but out of context, I'm still here," he said, opening his eyes to see that hers were still closed. "Does this make us friends?"

"I thought we already were."

His mouth pulled into a smile and he let out a relaxing breath, allowing his eyes to close shut once more as her scent of vanilla surrounded him comfortingly. He realised he could very easily fall asleep in the middle of a park surrounded by people, with her hand clasped in his and her laying beside him.

He startled when his hearing picked up on the sounds of sirens and he let out a sigh before his eyes opened, getting caught in her gaze.

"Off you go, Spider-man, you're needed," she said softly with a smile.

She sat herself up and removed her hand from his, pulling herself to her feet and brushing her clothing down. He stood up and grabbed his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder and he looked down at her.

"You need to go, I'm going to head home anyway. I need sleep and I've got another shift this evening."

"Take care of yourself," he told her.

"That's what I'm supposed to say to you," she smiled. "I'll see you when I see you," she said, turning and walking away from him.

He watched her go before he turned and ran in the opposite direction.

~000~000~000~

It was three days later and nearing ten o'clock as he made his way home. He knew he had to be quick or he'd miss curfew and his Aunt wouldn't be happy, so he made it a point to take every short cut he knew. But that meant he had to pass the park and surprisingly for him, his hearing picked up on the sound of sniffles and the breeze blew the scent of vanilla straight over to him.

All thoughts of going home were forgotten and he made a detour, dropping from his web and onto the ground before he jumped over the locked fence surrounding the park and he spied the one he was looking for not far in front of him.

She sat on the ground beneath a tree, her back pressed up against the trunk and her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head buried in her knees.

He knew she knew he was there, he heard the slight hitching of her breath, he heard her heart skip a beat and he saw her shoulders tense before slumping. He wished he knew how she knew it was him, but he knew there was no point in asking.

He didn't speak as he reached up to pull off his mask and he moved to sit beside her, his shoulder brushing hers and he bent his legs at the knees, resting his arms over them. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like hours but he was sure was only a few minutes, but he was happy to give her time to sort through her thoughts, he was happy to wait until she was ready to talk to him.

He heard her take a breath before she lifted her head and turned to look at him. She wasn't crying but her eyes were brimming with unshed tears and the slight flush to her skin was likely from the cold, but it made the group of freckles on her nose stand out a little more.

"You want to tell me what happened?" He asked her.

She gave another sniffle and took a breath. "I lost my first patient today," she said quietly, and he felt his facial expression soften. "It's been nearly a year since I started my training, I've seen to hundreds of patients and today's the first time I've not been able to help. I know not everyone can be saved and I knew what to expect before I started my training, but it's different knowing that and feeling like you're not good enough."

"Hey, I'm sure you're great at what you do," he said softly.

Her mouth twitched. "You don't even know what it is that I do," she pointed out.

"Maybe not, but you said you've seen to hundreds of patients and this is the first one you've not been able to help. That tells me that you're great at your job and unfortunately, as you said yourself, not everyone can be saved."

"Since becoming Spider-man, has there been anyone you've not been able to save?"

"There's been people I've not been able to _help_ , but no, I don't think there's been anyone that I've not been able to save, not that I know of at least. But I have to split my time between being Spider-man and being a normal person, so I'm not going to be able to help everyone which is where the emergency services come in."

"How do I get past this?"

"Maybe look at those that you did help. For everyone one person you can't help, there's another that you can. I don't want to say it'll get easier because I doubt it will, but it'll be something you'll be able to reflect on. Was it an error on your side of things that prevented you from helping?"

"No, there was just too much damage and the bleeding couldn't be stopped in time."

"Then it wasn't your fault and I'm sure you did everything you could."

"Thank you," she breathed out.

"You look exhausted," he said.

"I feel it, I had another twelve-hour shift but we were short staffed and there was an influx of patients so I had to work overtime, so I've just pulled an eighteen-hour shift."

"How are you even still speaking?" He asked surprised.

"A _lot_ of caffeine," she sighed. "But now I need my bed."

"Should you really be working so many hours?" He asked, a crease appearing in his forehead.

"I've a specific amount of hours I have to achieve in the workplace before I'm signed off for completed training. I took my final exams the day before moving here, passed with flying colours."

"Alright smarty pants," he joked and she laughed at him. "How many hours do you have to achieve?"

"Three thousand minimum," she answered.

"Whoa, that's a lot," he said in surprise.

"Not really," she smiled. "There's eight thousand seven hundred and sixty hours in a year. That's seven hundred and thirty, twelve-hour shifts a year, but I've been doing a lot of overtime lately. If I do four twelve-hour shifts in a single week, that's one hundred and three days of work, so in half a year I could achieve the required amount."

"I feel a headache about to happen," he muttered.

She chuckled at him. "I like to plan ahead," she said. "I've got less than a hundred hours left, so that's eight twelve-hour shifts unless I do overtime again in which it's done sooner. In two weeks I should be fully qualified as long as I pass the review stage."

"I've no doubt you'll ace it," he said.

"You don't know what I'm capable of, what I've learned or how smart I am," she said amused.

"Don't have to, the fact that you know how many shifts you'd have to do to complete your training in a year, and that you've helped hundreds of people in that time tells me you know exactly what you're doing and you'll ace it."

"Well, if you can have that much faith in me, I suppose I should believe in myself."

"You definitely should," he nodded in agreement before he pulled himself to his feet and turned to face her, holding his hands out to her. She raised an eyebrow. "You need to get home and get some sleep, sitting around and dwelling on what happened isn't good for you."

She unfolded her arms and reached out, placing her hands into his and he pulled her up until she was standing.

"How'd you even get in here?" He asked.

"Climbed the fence," she said.

He didn't quite believe her; the fence was much too high to climb but with his abilities, it hadn't taken much effort, yet he didn't comment on it. He looked down at her, her expression softer but her eyes still looked a little troubled and he suspected she probably wouldn't sleep well no matter how tired she was.

"Do you need a hug?"

"Excuse me?" She questioned, her eyes widening as she stared at him in surprise.

"A hug? You look like you could do with one," he said, hoping to God it was too dark for her to see his skin flushing a light pink.

"I... You know, a hug would be great, it's been a while since I've been able to a hug a friend," she said.

He felt a little awkward and wasn't sure how to actually bring her into a hug without it being weird, but she thankfully took charge as she stepped closer to him and reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and her forehead pressed against his shoulder. He lifted his arms to wrap around her back, being sure not to put his hands anywhere she might consider inappropriate. Her scent of vanilla was stronger now that she was closer to him and he could feel the heat of her body even through his suit.

He wasn't quite sure how long they stood there with neither of them speaking or trying to break apart, but he wasn't going to complain. He couldn't really, not only because he'd been the one to ask her if she wanted a hug in the first place, but because he actually found that he quite liked her hugging him. Before he knew it she was slowly pulling back from him and it took everything he had in him not to just tug her back into him and he let his arms release her and drop to his sides.

"Thank you, my mum always used to say there's nothing a hug and a good cup of tea can't fix," she smiled.

"Are you going to be alright getting home?"

"Fine,"

"I don't like the thought of you walking home on your own."

"Well, I'm never doing..." She motioned swinging from a web with her hands and he snorted at her. "Ever again. I'll just get a taxi."

"Do you want to wait until you get one?"

"No, it's getting late and you should probably get home." His eyes widened and he realised she was right, he'd definitely missed curfew. She chuckled. "Go on, before you get in trouble."

He pulled his mask back on before running off and shooting some webbing to pull him over the high fence and he swung his way home, noting the faint sound of a 'crack'. He didn't look but he knew if he did she probably wouldn't be where he'd left her. It was going to kill him not knowing her secrets.

He arrived home in less than ten minutes and snuck in through the window, pulling off his mask and letting out a sigh of relief, only he startled when his bedroom door swung open and the light was switched on, his Aunt May stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and a less than pleased look on her face.

"Hey, May," he said nervously, shifting on his feet when she narrowed her eyes at him. "I can explain," he said quickly.

"You bet you're going to explain, and it better be the best explanation in the world or you're grounded," she said. He cleared his throat. "Well? What's your excuse for missing curfew on a school night? Bank robbery? Mugging? Missing cat?"

"I was helping a friend."

"Why would Ned need your help at this time of night?"

"I do have more than one friend, May," he replied. She raised an eyebrow. "It's a girl."

She seemed to stand taller and both eyebrows raised high on her forehead in surprise.

"I met her a couple of months ago, she's British and just moved here."

Her anger simmered a little and she stepped into his room, moving to sit on the chair at his desk where she folded her arms and sat back, waiting for him to continue. He didn't dare sit down so remained standing in the middle of his bedroom.

"She helped me, I banged my head during a car chase and I passed out on a rooftop. When I woke she was there."

"She knows who you are?" She spoke, her eyes widening in worry.

"She hasn't told anyone," he said. "She promised she wouldn't and she's not a liar," he defended. "I don't know how, but I just do. Anyway, she helped me, took care of me whilst I was out cold. I didn't think I'd see her again..."

"But?"

"But I did, I met her a week later. She was lost so I took her to where she needed to be, we talked and after taking her to Delmar's, she left. Two weeks after that I was doing a final sweep of the neighbourhood before I came home and I saw her, she was being followed by a group of drunken men. I got her away from them and she wasn't too happy about the whole swinging thing..." She raised an eyebrow. "She hates heights. Anyway, we talked for a bit and then I left her. Two weeks after that I saw her standing at that food truck, you know, the one that sells dodgy burritos?" She nodded and motioned with her hand for him to continue. "Well, I took her for a corn dog and we went for some ice-cream but she had to leave because she got a message on her pager. A pager? Who still uses a pager?" He shook his head and his Aunt looked more amused than she did angry, so he kept going. "Last Sunday I was doing those errands for you and I saw her in the park. We talked for a while and I finally learned a bit more about her because she's very secretive, but I had to go stop a car thief. And tonight I was coming home when I saw her in the park. She was upset and I knew I couldn't just leave her there."

"Why was she upset?" She asked curiously.

Seeing as she'd calmed down, Peter moved to sit on his bed and he dropped his mask onto the mattress beside him.

"I'm not entirely sure what she does for a job, I think it might have something to do with medicine given the way she speaks about it, but she's been doing it for nearly a year now and she lost her first patient. I sat with her for a little bit, talked her out of her self doubt and worry and then came home."

She didn't speak but she was watching him with curious eyes and that made him more nervous than the anger he'd seen on her face earlier.

"This girl, what's her name?"

"Hermione," he answered.

"Pretty name," she tilted her head and he nodded in agreement.

"What do you know about her?"

"Only what she's told me; she's very secretive. I know she's eighteen, has a secretive job she can't tell me about and she moved here by herself, she's got no family and her parents died last year."

"Oh, the poor dear," she said softly, giving her head a shake.

"I don't know how we keep bumping into each other but the more we do, the more familiar she is to me. She's different." She raised an eyebrow. "There's something about her that I don't understand, it sets my spidey senses on edge but it doesn't feel bad or wrong, just different."

Her mouth pulled into a smile. "Is she pretty?"

"What?" He blurted out in surprise.

"Is she pretty?" She repeated.

"Well... I... Er..."

"I'll take that as a yes," she said amused. "Is she the reason you've been so distracted lately?"

"Yeah," he sighed, seeing no point in denying it. "I just can't stop thinking about her. The more time I spend around her, the more I want to get to know her, the more intriguing she becomes. I feel comfortable with her, we barely know each other and because of that and the fact she knows my secret, I feel I can talk to her about anything without fear of judgement."

"Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully, eyeing him strangely and he didn't like it. And he especially didn't like when her mouth tugged into a smile. "I'd like to meet her."

"Huh?" He said dumbly.

"Hermione, I'd like to meet this new friend of yours. She's obviously made a big impression on you."

He blinked slowly and shifted on his bed, feeling uncomfortable at the way she was looking at him.

"I don't know when I'll see her again, or even _if_ I'll see her again."

"You will, and when you do, you ask her to come to dinner. Find out what her favourite food is and I'll make it for her."

"You're acting strange," he said.

"I'm not, it's perfectly normal for me to want to meet your new friend," she smiled innocently, before standing from the chair and heading for the door. "Get some sleep, you have school tomorrow."

Peter stared at the door as she closed it behind her, wondering what the hell had just happened.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count: 20

He hadn't seen Hermione in three weeks and in all honesty, he was getting worried. New York was a big place but even with the population they'd managed to run into each other several times and he really didn't believe in coincidences.

He tried to keep his thoughts from straying to her but failed and now that his Aunt knew the reason behind his distracted state, she always made it a point to question him about his new friend, wanting to know everything he knew about her. He did think it was a little strange but otherwise told her everything he knew because it kept her happy.

He had no way of contacting Hermione and he had no idea where she lived, not even the general area otherwise he would've just gone searching for her until he found her, but it was starting to drive him insane. Luckily he had something to distract him for the weekend.

Mr. Stark had sent Happy to pick him up on Friday after school because he'd been summoned to the Avengers’ compound by Director Fury himself. He had no idea of the reasoning behind it; he just knew he had to pack a bag because he'd been staying until Sunday night. He did think it a little odd that he was expected at the compound especially since he wasn't technically a full member of the Avengers, not until he turned eighteen as it had been Mr. Stark's golden rule, so, for the time being, he was benched until they needed all hands on deck.

He'd been to the compound a few times and still didn't know his way around it, but he'd managed to find his way to his room –as if he had his own room!- within fifteen minutes and he had a quick look around before unpacking his clothes into the chest of drawers and putting his toiletries in his bathroom. He'd been told upon arriving that he would need to change into his suit though he wasn't sure why, but as soon as he had there was a knock on the door and he crossed the room to open it.

"Mr. Stark," he greeted.

The older man looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Kid, why are you wearing your mask indoors? Didn't your lovely Aunt May tell you it's rude?"

"Keeping my identity a secret," he replied.

He rolled his eyes at him. "From who exactly?"

"Oh," he said, clearing his throat as he reached up and pulled off his mask, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Let's go, Spidey, we're needed in the conference room," he spoke, turning and walking away and Peter was quick on his heels, falling into step beside him.

"Mr. Stark, why am I here?"

"Not sure," he shrugged. "None of us are, but Fury's got his eye-patch in a knot about everyone being present."

"And my suit? Why do I have to wear it?"

"No idea," he said. "But we're about to find out."

Peter followed him into the room which was only fitted with a large table that was surrounded by five chairs on either side and a chair at both ends of the table. The other Avengers were already present, Wanda sat next to Clint and was followed by Natasha on the left, whilst Steve, Sam and Bucky sat on the right and Tony took the seat at the end of the table, so he moved to sit on his left, putting a space between him and Natasha. He noticed that Rhodey, Bruce and Vision were missing and that those present were all wearing their suits, too.

"Shut it, Stark," Director Fury spoke, as he stepped into the room and headed straight for the unoccupied chair at the other end of the table but he didn't sit down, he just pushed it out of the way and into the corner of the room.

"I didn't say anything," his mentor replied.

"You didn't have to," he said, pinning him with a cold stare. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here, so I see no point in keeping it from you. As of today, you'll find yourselves with a new addition to the team."

Silence met him.

"I'm sorry, addition as in?" Captain America asked, sitting up in his chair and looking directly at Fury.

"As in a new member of the Avengers Initiative."

"And just who is this guy, why haven't we been told about this earlier and what makes him so special he's to be joining this highly skilled team?" Sam asked.

"Or she," Natasha put in.

"You haven't been told about this before now because it was irrelevant and on a need to know basis. _She_ ," he said, putting emphasis on the term and Natasha and Wanda both looked pleased to hear it. "Has a variety of skills which make her more than qualified to join the Avengers. She's going to be a highly valuable member of the team, and I've been told she's got quite the temper on her so unless you want to witness that, it's best not to upset her. She's been on our radar for almost a year and I've had to jump through far too many hoops to get her here this afternoon."

He turned and headed for the second door in the room and he knocked on it before returning to the table. The room fell silent as they all waited for the newest member to make an appearance.

The door opened and all eyes moved to it, not a single person in the room blinking and Peter had never been more surprised in his life when none other than Hermione Granger, his new friend, stepped into the room. Her wild curls were pulled back from her face and tied back in a low ponytail and she was wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt, black jeans and black knee-high boots, the colour contrasting against her pale skin.

"Hermione!" He exclaimed and all eyes shot to him in surprise. He felt his face heat up, as obviously, he hadn't meant to say that so loud, or at all.

"Peter!" She said, looking just as surprised to see him as he was her, and he was more than aware of the surprise of the others and that was including Director Fury as their eyes darted between them. "You never told me you were an Avenger," she blinked before shaking her head and a smile pulled at her face. "Well, Mr. Superhero, you kept that one quiet."

"I...Er..." He cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable with all the eyes on him. "I'm not technically, not until I turn eighteen. And you're one to talk, is this the secret job you told me about?"

"Yes and no," she responded, reaching up to push a loose curl out of her face.

"But is this the job offer you couldn't refuse?"

"Yes, and I meant that literally, I _couldn't_ refuse it," she said, sending a less than friendly glare to Director Fury. "He blackmailed into it."

"I did not," he scoffed.

"Yes, you did," she replied, her voice turning cold. "And if you dare tell another lie, you'll feel my foot up your arse even in your death."

A snort sounded. "I like her," he heard Natasha mutter to Clint and the archer nodded in agreement, looking amused.

"Hold on a minute," Tony said, drawing attention to him. "You two know each other?" He spoke, gesturing between him and Hermione with a wiggle of his index finger.

"Sure do," Hermione nodded, sending Peter a smile and his blush darkened, especially when he saw several of them smirking at him in amusement. "We met not long after I moved here, our first meeting happened to be him wearing his suit."

"I'm confused," Sam frowned.

"She helped me," Peter explained. "I banged my head and passed out, when I came to I learned she'd been taking care of me whilst I was out cold."

"Yes, then we just happened to bump into each other when I got lost, new city and all that. Then he just happened to be nearby when a group of drunken men started following me, I still haven't forgiven you for the whole swinging on a web thing," she told him. "Then he stopped me from getting food poisoning from a dodgy food truck, and then we happened to meet when I was falling asleep in the middle of the park."

"Why were you falling asleep?" Wanda asked her, looking at her curiously.

"I'd just finished a twelve-hour shift," she answered. "Fact of the matter is, Peter and I just can't seem to stop bumping into each other, though I admit, I have been a little worried since it's been what, three weeks since we last saw each other?"

"Three weeks, two days," he corrected, his blush darkening further when they all looked at him with raised eyebrows and amusement.

"Okay, so glad you know our rookie player but back on topic, just _who_ are you?" Clint asked her.

"Right, sorry, I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger, and if I hear one single joke about my British heritage, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your lives," she said, smiling sweetly.

Peter saw his mentor smirk in challenge and he opened his mouth but Director Fury spoke over him.

"Miss. Granger is highly accomplished for her age and her skills and abilities are going to make all of our lives a lot easier."

"How so?" Steve asked curiously.

"We'll get to the show and tell later," he replied. "Now for some background information and for that, I'll hand it over to the woman herself."

"Right, I haven't slept in nearly thirty-six hours so please don't question me and treat me as if I'm crazy. Everything I'm about to tell you is the absolute truth and just keep in mind aliens exist."

Peter found himself sitting forward in his seat, as did everyone else.

"To put it simply, I'm a witch."

Tony snorted and she sent him a glare that was so frightening, it had the older man sinking back in his seat and shutting up.

"I was born the way I am, I was born with my magic. I'm not the only witch to exist, there's thousands of my people, both witches and wizards, that live in secret around the world. After the Witch Trials, my people were forced to retreat into the shadows for our survival and all traces of magic were wiped from the world. We built our own towns and cities and we hide in plain sight. Yes, we brew potions, yes, we have wands to cast spells and yes, we fly on brooms, I, however, hate flying. Always have, always will. There's different types of magical practitioners. I'm the first type, I'm what's known as a Muggleborn. Neither of my parents had magic themselves and it wasn't in their ancestry. I'm the first magical user in my bloodline. Next, Half-bloods who are magical practitioners that have both magical and non-magical ancestry. Most Half-bloods usually have two magical parents, but it had been known for there to be one magical and one non-magical parent. Purebloods, these have no non-magical blood in their ancestry. And finally, Squibs are what we call someone who has magical parents but they don't possess magic themselves, they're regular human beings. Muggleborns don't learn of their magic until the age of eleven which is when they're invited to attend a magical school where they'll learn to hone and harness their magic and abilities, and where they'll be prepared for life in the Wizarding World once they graduate. Half-bloods and Purebloods grow up in the hidden Wizarding World and know of their magic from the very beginning. I've put an information pack together for you all to read at a later date, and please read it, it'll help you to better understand the world I come from. We're not that different from you, we have the same needs, wants and desires only we have magic instead of technology. Questions?"

Every hand shot up in the air whilst Tony held both his hands up and looked to be attempting to lift his legs up higher, too.

"Great, I'll answer them later," she said, and dejected sighs were heard as they all lowered their arms.

"I'm here because a year ago I helped put an end to a magical war which had been happening for nearly two decades."

"You're a soldier," Bucky interrupted.

She nodded, her eyes clouding over in pain and sadness before she took a breath. "For nearly seven years."

"How old are you?" He asked, eyeing her strangely.

"Eighteen." The room was silent. "I was dragged into the war at the age of twelve and that's when I fought in my first battle." They all stared at her, and Peter himself couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He'd known she was different, he just hadn't thought it would be to the extent of what she was saying. As if, magic was real and he was staring at a real, live witch! He felt sick. His head hurt. God! He felt like he was going to pass out and he reached out to grip the edge of the table to centre himself.

"The magical war, I'm not exaggerating when I say the wizard we were up against was the magical version of Adolf Hitler."

Peter saw Both Steve and Bucky stiffening, their eyes locking on her. "It was that bad?" Steve asked.

"Well, I was a twelve year old fighting on the front line, what do you think? Our population's nowhere near the scale of yours, so when I say thousands of my people died it may not sound like a lot to you, but it was to us. In comparison, it's the same as millions of your people dying."

Peter saw everyone take a deep breath and their bodies tensed before relaxing and he couldn't stop his own body from doing the same.

"He was the darkest wizard to be seen in decades, even centuries and he was called Voldemort. He hated Muggles, your people, and he wanted to rid the world of you all. He wanted witches and wizards to rule over you. And because he hated you, he hated Muggleborns and Half-bloods and he wanted to wipe us all out. Did you hear about those terrorist attacks in London and Paris a couple of years ago? Well, that was him. When I was born, there was a prophecy about a baby boy that was said to have the power to destroy him for good, so he killed every family that had a baby boy that was born at the end of July. He tried to kill a baby but the magic backfired and struck him. The world thought he'd been destroyed and everyone celebrated this hero baby for saving our people, in reality, he'd just been defeated and was biding his time. Fast forward ten years. That baby came to my magical school and he became my best friend. For five years we were forced to fight off countless attacks and attempts to bring Voldemort back to full power. We tried to tell our government he was back but they wouldn't believe us, so we fought back. The resistance group that was formed in the first war regrouped and secretly fought in the shadows."

"When I was sixteen I was nearly killed in battle and it's when the government realised we were telling the truth. We fought but eventually, he took control of our government and our Headmaster, a truly powerful wizard of The Light and one of the only people Voldemort feared, was murdered. We were on our own and as teenagers, we were expected to find a way to kill Voldemort for good. We hit a few obstacles but months later after being fugitives and chased by Voldemort's followers, we knew how to kill him and the final battle was upon us. Twenty-four hours the battle lasted and just when we lost hope, a miracle happened and my best friend killed him. We'd finally won the war. Innocent people and children were no longer suffering, were no longer being forced into slavery and being executed for simply existing. We're still repairing all the damages but people are finally starting to move on now that they can leave their homes without fear."

Peter slumped back into his chair and he wasn't the only one. He really did have a headache forming.

"Questions?" Again, every hand shot up including Tony's legs. "I'll answer them later, too," she said and groans sounded. "That's the cliff notes version, everything you need to know you'll find in the packs you'll be given later. Now, keeping the secret of magic is my people's number one rule and most strict law and if that secret gets out to those who aren't deemed necessary of knowing, you face execution or prison, and our prisons are horrifying as they're guarded by dark creatures that suck out your soul. So this goes without saying, do not tell anyone outside of this room because you'll sign my death certificate, War Heroine or not. I'm only here because as I said, I was blackmailed into it," she said, glaring at Fury and he stared back unphased which Peter thought was brave given how scary she looked. "Fury discovered our existence and he threatened war on my people. Given what we've been through, we didn't take kindly to that threat so they did some negotiating. My people are left alone to live their lives in peace and Fury gets the best of the best to join your team."

"And that's you?" Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," she shook her head. "I believe it's my best friend, but he's been through so much in his life and I know that he's finally free of people's expectations, he can live his life how he wishes to. He's engaged to his girlfriend and he's training to be a magical policeman. He's very famous in my world and just wants a life of peace. Since I was twelve I've followed him into every fight, every battle, every bad scenario because Merlin knows I love him like my little brother, but he's a pain in the arse with a bit of a hero complex and I've lost count of how many times I've had to save his stupid arse."

Peter saw Steve and Bucky share an amused smile, as did Natasha and Clint.

"For him to be here would mean ripping him away from the life he deserves and I'd die before I let someone take his happiness from him. He's one of the best fighters and flyers I've seen, he's got a natural talent for it, but when it comes to other things, well, he's a bit of an idiot. He only passed his classes in school because I made sure he did. I'm a decent fighter, I'm not as defenceless or weak as I look, but my main asset is my mind."

"Meaning?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They say I'm the brightest witch to have been seen in decades, but they do tend to over exaggerate when I'm involved, it comes with the territory of being a known War Heroine. After the war, I helped to rebuild our community and then I started my training to become a magical doctor before I was dragged into our government headquarters by our president. I know Kingsley, we fought in battle together and I know he'd do anything to protect our people and that meant throwing me under the bus, don't worry, he felt the full force of my displeasure," she said and Natasha snorted, her mouth twitching into a proud smile. "I didn't have a choice in being here, but I would've much preferred to have been _asked_ rather than forced and then maybe I wouldn't have been so hostile to your agents," she looked over her shoulder to Fury. "How are they by the way?" She asked innocently.

"Recovering,"

"Still? It's been three months. Oh my, if only you had access to the advanced healing of my people, such a shame you pissed off the only person who could give you that," she said sweetly.

Peter honestly didn't know what to do with all the information filling his head and he was actually a little surprised to see her acting so... _different_. He was used to her being kind, not annoyed or sarcastic. She wasn't kidding, her temper really was frightening and he was sure he hadn't actually seen it yet.

"You have advanced healing?" Tony asked her intrigued.

She turned back to face them and nodded. "Yes, we can heal broken noses in fifteen minutes, toes and fingers about five. We can re-grow bones entirely but it's not a nice process. We have a cure for the common cold and we can fight off symptoms of the flu. In some cases, we've been able to cure paralysis. We have a potion that can seal up wounds in minutes, we have creams that can grow a new layer of skin and a paste that can heal bruises, the time it takes is dependent on the size of the bruise and the location. I've spent the last year training to be a magical doctor and as of a week ago, I'm fully qualified, the youngest to be seen in a century is what they told me."

"What of your abilities?" Wanda asked and Hermione turned her eyes to her.

"You can't get inside my head, can you?" She said knowingly.

Wanda nodded. "It's quiet. There's nothing, no words, images, memories."

"I practice a branch of magic which allows me to block my mind from outside influences. You can't get in my head unless I want you to. Similarly, I can do the opposite, if I wished to I can read your mind, too, and you won't even know I'm doing it, not unless you pissed me off and I'm feeling a bit vengeful in which case, I'll make sure it'll leave you with a monstrous headache."

"Is that a common skill?" Clint asked.

"No, not really. Very few people can do what I can, it takes years of practice and a lot of patience. But I'm meticulous in the way I organise my thoughts which helped me when learning this skill. There's different branches of magic and some people are just better at one than others," she shrugged.

"And what else can you do? What about your magic?"

"That's why you're suited up," Fury spoke up. "You're going to fight her."

"All of us?" Peter asked with a worried frown.

"All of you," he confirmed.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself," she said, giving him a little smile which did nothing to placate him.

"Any limitations?" Natasha asked.

"No," Fury said. "Give her everything you've got and more."

"Even weapons?" Clint asked.

"Especially weapons," Hermione replied with a smirk. "Even hand to hand combat if you think you can get close enough."

Clint sat back in his chair, sharing a smirk with Natasha. "I think I'm going to like you."

~000~000~000~

"Relax, Kid," his mentor said, standing by the wall with the rest of the team as they all watched Fury and Hermione have a whispered but tense conversation in the middle of the training room.

It was empty, the room being the size of a football field and all it held was the four stone walls and the lights that shone from above.

"I can't, I'm worried about her," he muttered.

"You never told me about her."

Peter frowned. "I just thought she was a normal girl I kept bumping into. I had no idea this was all going to happen, that she was different and had abilities of her own."

"Well, when you get yourself a girlfriend, I feel it's something I should know."

Peter spluttered. "She's not my girlfriend," he denied, his face turning red.

"The way you look at her says otherwise," Tony replied, looking as though he was enjoying his discomfort.

"She's my friend, that's it," he shifted nervously.

"You know, it's not against the rules to be involved with a member of the team."

"Mr. Stark?" He questioned confused.

"If you want her to be your girlfriend, that's perfectly fine."

"She's just my friend," he shook his head.

"Whatever you say, Kid," Tony spoke, shrugging. "And don't hold back, if you do Fury will kick your ass."

"I don't want to hurt her," he frowned.

"Something tells me she's going to come out of this just fine, and we're the ones that are gunna need patching up afterwards," he said.

"Right," Hermione said, drawing their attention. "Does anyone have any technological items in their suits?" They all looked at her confused. "I'm mainly looking at you," she looked directly at Tony who was suited up in his iron man suit but with his helmet off. "You might want to sit this one out."

"Why?" He pouted.

"Magic and technology don't mix, it's a big no-no," she answered. "It's the reason we don't have any technological or electrical items in the Wizarding World. Our magic fries it, and it's not too great with radar systems either."

"Wait, so you have no technology or electricity?" Tony asked surprised.

"Exactly, we don't even have light bulbs. For those that grow up in the Wizarding World they don't know any different, for me, it was a bit of a hard transition. So there's no computers, TV, phones, internet, game consoles, microwaves, refrigerators, none of it, but we don't need them. We have our own ways of communicating and we have spells for cooking and storing food. Anyway, if you don't want that suit getting destroyed, I'd sit this one out."

"No way in hell am I missing this," he said. "I've got more than enough backup suits."

"Fair enough, but I warned you," she shrugged. "I don't know if you want to do this one at a time or not, whatever's easiest for you. And anything I may do I won't repeat, just so you understand the full scale of my abilities."

Peter watched as she reached for her sleeve and pulled out a wooden stick which he assumed was her wand. She took a deep breath and her eyes closed briefly before she took a defensive stance, a hardened looked entering her eyes. He'd seen it on Bucky, Steve and Sam. It was the look of a soldier.

"Whenever you're ready," she said.

Before he knew it Natasha was running forward and heading straight for Hermione but she didn't move, if anything he noticed her stance relaxing and it all became clear as to why. Natasha seemed to slam into an invisible barrier and she bounced back, landing on the floor and sliding across it until she came to a stop.

"I promise I won't do that again, I just had to show you that I'm capable of putting up impenetrable barriers that nothing can get past."

"Impressive," Tony spoke from beside him.

She waved her wand and they all saw the way a pink shimmer seemed to cover the entirety of the room, from wall to wall and ceiling to floor, showing there was nothing that would be able to get past. She lowered her wand and the pink shimmer faded.

"It's gone, try again," she encouraged Natasha.

The assassin climbed back to her feet before running towards Hermione once more, only with a flick of her wand and a muttered word he didn't understand, Natasha's feet were dragged out from beneath her by an invisible force and she was hung upside down in the air. Tony let out a bark of laughter.

"Romanoff, out," Fury called.

Hermione seemed to be concentrating on lowering her back to the ground, likely not wanting to hurt her and when her feet touched the floor, the assassin pushed her hair out of her face and gave Hermione a nod, before walking back over to the wall where the rest of them stood.

Clint stepped forward and without warning he'd pulled an arrow, aimed and fired straight for Hermione's shoulder. She didn't look the slightest bit panicked and he blinked when a blue-silver dome covered the front half of her body, the arrow bouncing off it and hitting the ground. They all blinked. Raising an eyebrow, Clint fired off three arrows one by one and then ran towards her. The arrows all hit her shield but one set off an explosion, slamming into her shield and sending her flying off her feet until she landed on the ground with a 'thud.' He barely stopped himself from running over to her.

She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up onto her knees before a beam of light left her wand, ropes appearing around Clint's ankles, legs and arms, preventing him from moving and firing off another arrow.

"Barton, out," Fury called.

"For future record, my shield can also withstand bullets and knives," Hermione spoke as she climbed back to her feet, brushing her loose curls out of her face. Clint nodded to her and looked down at himself amused. "Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly.

She waved her wand and the ropes disappeared, freeing him. He bent down to pick up his dropped bow and then moved to stand beside Natasha, the two best friends whispering between themselves as their eyes darted to Hermione and then back to each other.

Steve stepped forward, his eyes watching her curiously but cautiously after what he'd just witnessed, and Hermione's eyes darted to the shield in his hand. Peter knew she'd go for the legs, it was the most vulnerable part of him.

Captain America started running towards her and he threw his shield at her. She cast her own shield and the force of them colliding sent her off her feet once more and her back slammed into the wall on the other side of the room. She groaned but was quick to get back on her feet when Steve took a leap with his fist poised and ready hit her in the face. She fell to the ground and slid under his arms, twisting her body around and a beam of light leaving her wand and hitting Steve straight in the ass. He let out a surprisingly girly yelp that had his mentor in a fit of giggles and the others sniggering.

As he turned around and prepared to throw his shield once more, she climbed to her feet and before their eyes, she just seemed to...Disappear.

Their eyes searched the room for any sign of her but there was none until Steve's shield was suddenly ripped out of his grasp and sent flying across the room, and then an invisible force hit him in the chest, lifting him off his feet and he was sent hurtling back into the wall, making a slight crater beneath him and he was held in place with his feet not touching the ground.

"Rogers, out," Fury called.

Hermione appeared out of nowhere and they all startled a little whilst she slowly lowered Captain America back to his feet. As he approached her, wincing as he rubbed the aching spot on his ass, it sent Tony into another fit of giggles. She pointed her wand and once again said something he didn't understand but Captain America's shield came flying over to her and she caught it in her hand before handing it over to Steve, who gave her a nod of acceptance as he made his way back to the wall with the rest of them.

"I can camouflage myself into any background, I'm all but invisible but there are ways to spot me aside from using heat signature detectors," she said. "And I hit you with a Stinging Hex, it might swell a little but if it hasn't gone down after we've finished here, I'll heal it for you."

Next to step forward was Bucky and before he'd even managed to approach her, he was hit with a beam of light that had his body stiffening, his limbs locking and then he was falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes, unable to move or speak.

"Barnes, out," Fury said, sounding bored.

Tony snorted. "You're supposed to be the popsicle, not him," he said, pointing his thumb in Steve's direction and he sent him a less than pleased look in return, before helping up his friend when Hermione released him from her spell.

Bucky looked to her and they held gazes for a moment. "Soldier," he nodded in understanding and she nodded back.

Wanda stepped forward and they all watched closely as to how it would play out. There were no items or objects Wanda could use to throw at her and they already knew she couldn't get into Hermione's head, so it wasn't a surprise when Wanda fell to the floor on her knees with her arms bound to her sides by thick, metal chains.

After she was released and she'd made her way back over to the wall, everyone looked to Sam expectantly but he just shook his head.

"There ain't no way I'm going up against her, she's kicked all of your asses and I like my face the way it is," he said, leaning back into the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wilson," Fury said, sending him a glare.

"Nope, not happening," he shook his head.

It spoke volumes that Sam was more afraid of a teenage girl than he was of attracting the wrath of Director Fury.

"They call you 'The Falcon' right?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Sam said slowly, eyeing her cautiously when her mouth twitched in amusement.

"Please," she pleaded, "This kitty wants to play."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"There's only one way to find out, come on, I know you're curious."

"Yeah, but I don't want you using it against me, I'd much rather see you do it on someone else."

"Chicken," Tony called down the line before stepping forward.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Hermione asked him. "I really don't want to damage something covered with my house colours."

"What?" He frowned in confusion.

"My school, students are split into four houses on their first day and that house becomes their family until they graduate. My house colours were red and gold, I'm quite partial to them so I'd hate to ruin that pretty suit of yours."

"You're not getting out of this," he said, his helmet rising from his suit and covering his face.

He took flight and Hermione lifted her head and watched him carefully and when Tony fired the first shot, they all blinked when there was a sharp 'crack' and she was suddenly gone, a hole being blasted in the back wall and natural light shining through. Peter was sure he'd heard that sound before.

Tony remained in the air but his helmet retracted and he looked to them in confusion. "She's not here," he said. "There's not enough heat signatures."

Fury rolled his eye and walked over to the door, opening it and calling out, "Granger, get in here!"

They all blinked in surprise when she stepped into the room with an innocent smile on her face and a slice of pizza held in her hand.

"What the..." Clint muttered, whilst Peter found himself staring at her.

"Did I forget to mention I can teleport?" She said lightly and they all blinked dumbly. "Oh, my bad."

Teleportation! Now, that was awesome, he thought.

She walked further into the room and as she walked past him she held out the pizza slice. "Would you mind holding this for me?" She asked, and his eyes locked on hers as she handed him the pizza slice and then continued to the centre of the room.

Before he knew it, Tony was creating explosions and putting holes in the walls and Hermione was teleporting about the room, doing it so quickly Tony couldn't keep up with her. She teleported behind him and then fired a beam of light at his back, Tony letting out a gasp before his suit seemed to shut down and he fell to the ground. He would've landed face first if Hermione hadn't used her magic to slow down his fall.

Tony rolled over onto this back and lifted his head, looking at her in annoyance, amusement and intrigue. "You fried my suit," he said, sounding like a petulant child.

"I did warn you," she shrugged before the pizza slice was gone from Peter's hand and in hers and she started eating it.

"Where'd you even get that?"

"Cafeteria, I'm starving. I worked a twelve-hour shift and then came straight here; I haven't eaten since nine o'clock this morning. It's very good, compliments to the chef."

Tony snorted at her before climbing to his feet and walking over to the wall where they all stood, and he had to physically remove his helmet.

"I can't believe she actually fried it," he muttered to himself in disbelief, holding his helmet in his hands and his eyes scanning it carefully.

"Parker, you're up," Fury called.

"I...Er..." he said, looking to Hermione nervously and she gave him a smile as she wiped her hands on her jeans.

"Not to worry, Mr. Superhero," she teased. "I'm sure you can handle it. But I swear if you even think about..." She motioned swinging on a web with her hands, "I'll definitely be in a mood and given my lack of sleep and my hunger, that's dangerous for anyone in my vicinity."

"Parker," Fury said, staring at him in a way that made him nervous.

"Good luck, Kid," Tony said, clapping him on the shoulder and giving him a shove forward.

Peter stumbled a little before righting himself and then he slipped on his mask and took a deep breath. They watched each other carefully, neither of them moving or speaking, just staring.

Peter knew he had to be careful as he'd never be able to forgive himself if he hurt her, even if it was accidental. But he'd barely taken his eyes off her since she'd walked into the conference room and because he'd been watching her closely, he was sure he'd figured out her weakness and that he'd be able to take her out without hurting her.

She didn't look surprised when he shot webs to the ceiling and pulled himself up, flipping over her and landing on the ground behind her, but _he_ was definitely surprised by the balls of fire –actual fire!- that were hurtling towards him and he had to once more shoot webs to pull himself out of the way, hearing the flames colliding with the wall.

Rather than lowering himself to the ground, he swung to the wall opposite and perched himself there, watching and waiting. She fired several beams of light at him and not wanting to find out what they did, he sprung from the wall, flipping through the air and over her head, but as he did so, he shot webbing at her feet, clamping her to the ground and preventing her from being able to move. She shot off several more beams and he leapt out of the way, climbing the wall opposite before quickly firing some webbing and swinging away when the beams collided with the wall, leaving a large hole behind. By this point there were so many holes in the walls Peter didn't know how the room was still standing.

Firing off more webbing, he swung himself around the room avoiding her attacks and ignoring the sounds of the explosions and her magic colliding with the walls, ceiling and flooring. He knew she'd soon get dizzy as she wouldn't want to let him out of her sight, and when she blinked, her eyes closing for longer than usual, he let go of his webbing and dropped to the ground, shooting a final web and it latched onto her wand which he pulled from her grasp, catching it his hand.

"Granger, out," Fury called.

Hermione shook her head before looking directly at him, giving him a smile and he slowly rose to his feet, surprised that he'd been the one to beat her in a fight when he was the youngest and the least experienced person in the room. He turned his head, seeing his fellow superheroes who looked just as surprised and he let out a breath, letting his body relax with his shoulders slumping.

"Well done, Peter," Hermione praised with a smile and he reached up to pull his mask off, his eyes locking on hers. "You're the only one that realised my biggest weakness." She then turned her eyes to the others who were still stood against the wall, looking impressed, surprised and confused about everything they'd just witnessed. "My wand," she explained. "Without my wand, I'm near enough defenceless. Whilst my magic is a part of me, it runs through my blood and flows throughout my body; we need wands to aid in the focus and control of our spell casting. It is possible to be able to practice magic both without our wands and without the need to speak, but it's difficult and takes years of training."

"Can you do it?" Natasha asked.

Hermione smiled and she held out her hand, her wand being ripped from Peter's grasp, flying across the room and landing in her outstretched palm. "A little, but I haven't had much time to practice. It's not as difficult to do one or the other, but it requires immense focus to do both at the same time."

She crouched down and pointed her wand at the webbing that covered her shoes and with a whispered word, the webbing was cut free and she rose back to her full height and tugged her feet free.

"Bare with me a moment," she muttered, before she slowly made her way around the room, putting out the fires with a jet of water that came from the tip of her wand. "Much better," she nodded to herself. "Questions?" Every hand shot up and she smiled. "Great, I'll answer them later."

"No, I wanna know what you meant with your kitty comment," Sam said.

"Alright, don't freak out."

He did. They all did. As she leaned forward and before any of them had time to process what was happening, a fully grown lioness was stood where Hermione once did.

Tony dropped his helmet, Steve his shield, Sam let out a strangled cry and he felt himself sway on his feet.

"Oh My..." It seemed Director Fury had been just as in the dark as the rest of them.

The lioness rose onto her back feet and then Hermione stood in place once more. Now, _that_ was awesome, he thought.

"What the hell was that?" Clint asked, his eyes wide.

She smiled at them. "I'm an Animagus," she answered. "It's a branch of magic that means I'm able to physically shift myself into the form of my spirit animal, which you have just seen is a lioness. Before the war took its toll on me I used to be an otter. It's not a common skill," she said before anyone could ask. "It's not exactly a difficult process but it does require a lot of patience and meditation, and there's quite a few restrictions and lawful requirements that come with it, so most don't attempt it. When I get bored or need a distraction I tend to wander around in my animal form, so don't be alarmed, I won't hurt you. I might technically be a wild animal, but I'm still me. I can understand everything that is being said to me and everything that is happening. And no, I don't like catnip, balls of yarn or fish, so don't even try it with the cat jokes because I swear, I'll scratch up your bedposts."

"Why can you make jokes but we can't?" Tony asked, pouting.

"It wasn't a joke, it was a promise. Anyway, there are some conditions which prevent me from being able to shift into my animal form, such as extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, or even being drugged. I don’t need my wand to transform, but if I’m unable to do so and I happen to lose my wand as well, I'm pretty much useless."

"Which is why you'll all be spending the weekend training together," Fury spoke, moving to stand beside her in the centre of the room. "You will show her how to defend herself, and she will continue to show you how valuable she is to this team. Take this time to understand her abilities and find where she fits in. We can't risk her existence being exposed to the public so she will only be on missions in which her skills will be specifically required."

"If we had her working on every mission we have, it would make our lives a lot easier," Natasha pointed out. "There'd be no need for a team of agents, she could do it by herself."

"Then you'd be out of the job," Fury said and they snorted at him.

"I'm always on call," Hermione said. "I mean, I do work at the magical hospital in Manhattan but I'm going to slowly start dropping my hours until I no longer work there, I don't want them getting suspicious and I know they will if I suddenly hand my notice in out of the blue. Once I'm done, I'll be doing some freelance work on the side in order to keep up appearances in my world, but mostly I'll be here."

"Doing what?" Tony asked.

"Putting my magic to use. Aside from you all now having access to magical healing, I'll be working on a few projects in hopes of improving your weaponry and suits."

"Such as?"

"Well," she looked to Clint and he raised an eyebrow. "How often do you run out of arrows?"

"All the time," he shrugged.

"What if I can make it so you'll never do so again?"

"That's possible?" He said in surprise.

"Yes, it'll take a little tinkering and maybe a Duplication Charm or two, but it's possible," she nodded. "And your shield," she looked to Steve. "I might be able to make it so that any force it faces can be absorbed and redistributed." She then looked to Natasha. "For you, I reckon I could alter your clothing to better camouflage you into your surroundings, making you all but invisible. And you," she looked to Tony and he raised an eyebrow. "It seems we're going to be spending a lot of time together."

"Why?" He asked, but he didn't look upset or disappointed with the news, just curious.

"We'll be spending our time trying to figure out a way to have both magical and technological items working together, which means a lot of fried wiring and probably a few explosions, too."

"The magic words," he smirked.

"And now if you'll excuse me, if I don't get some sleep I'll pass out on the floor right where I'm standing."

Hermione waved her wand and a stack of papers appeared in front of everyone, hovering in mid-air. Peter blinked in surprise, realising it must've been the information pack she'd mentioned and it had to be at least a couple hundred pages, but nevertheless, he knew he was going to read all of it and he wasn't going to sleep until he did.

"As far as first meetings go, it's been a pleasure kicking your arses," she said, giving them a salute and then she spun on her heel, disappearing with a sharp 'crack'.

"I like her," Clint said aloud.

~000~000~000~

Peter honestly had no idea what time it was, but given how long he'd been in his room, he suspected it to be around the early hours of the morning. Once Hermione had left the training room, he and the rest of the Avengers had convened in the conference room where they all spoke about the newest member of the team, and from what he'd heard, they all seemed to like her but for different reasons. Natasha and Wanda for her being a powerful, 'badass' woman, Clint and Tony finding her funny, and Bucky, Sam and Steve all respecting her as a soldier.

He'd barely spoken allowing the adults to converse whilst he processed everything he'd learned in a matter of a couple of hours. Once they'd been excused, he'd followed Clint to the cafeteria and grabbed some dinner before returning to his room where he'd immediately started reading through the information pack Hermione had given him.

Several hours later, he found himself sitting on the ceiling and hanging upside down, the now read papers being spread out across his floor in an unorganised mess, a headache forming and his mind officially blown.

He'd learned about the last two decades in which the hidden world of magic had suffered and all that Hermione and her friends had done to bring peace to their people. She'd done some things he was sure he'd never have the guts to do and when reading over certain pieces of information, some of it had been so bad it had taken him several tries to get through it, though he was sure things were still being left out. There were blanks, holes in the timeline and he was curious as to what was still being kept from them but he supposed it had been done for a good reason.

He knew he should get some sleep as he was expected to spend his weekend training with the others - and he was grateful he'd been summoned at all considering he wasn't actually an Avenger yet- but everything he'd seen and learned was still fresh on his mind and he found himself wide awake and hungry.

Now that he knew where the cafeteria was and that there was a kitchen nearby fully stocked with food and snacks, he decided a raid of the kitchen was in order. He pushed himself off the ceiling and landed smoothly on his feet, and knowing he'd be beyond embarrassed if he got caught wandering around in his boxers, he headed for the chest of drawers where he found a supplied set of pyjamas. Much to his amusement, when he put them on they were a light grey colour and although his draw string bottoms were plain, the matching t-shirt had the Avengers symbol on the right side of his chest and 'Spider-man' was scrawled across his back in black lettering with the little black spider beneath it. He wondered if the rest of the Avengers' pyjamas were the same.

Grabbing his sneakers, he slipped them on his feet and then picked up his phone from the bedside table and wrapped the chord of his earphones around it before leaving out the door. He was quiet as he walked down the dimly lit corridor and as he rounded the corner, he found himself stopping in surprise when Hermione came into view.

She was sat on the ground with her back pressed up against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and her face buried in her knees. He could see that her pyjamas were similar to his only hers were red, she wore white socks on her feet and her hair was pulled back on top of her head in a messy bun. He looked up, seeing the door beside her and it said 'Granger' on the name tag. Given his said 'Spider-man' he thought it would change when she was given her own code name.

He slowly approached her and seeming to hear his footsteps, she lifted her head from her knees and looked to him, her gaze locking with his. The first thing he noticed was her tired eyes, dark bruises sitting beneath them and the second thing was that she had a golden lioness printed on the back of her t-shirt along with 'Granger.'

Wordlessly he moved until he sat beside her, putting his phone on the ground beside him and crossing his legs.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"Hungry, I was going to raid the kitchen. You?"

"Couldn't sleep," she sighed. "I mean, I got a few hours before I woke up and I couldn't take the smell of the room anymore. It's too clean, sterile, it reminds me of a hospital and I've seen enough of them to last me a lifetime."

"You're a doctor," he said amused. "Congratulations, by the way, I said you'd do it."

She gave him a tired smile. "Thank you," she said. "And working in one and being a patient are completely different things."

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Nightmares," she muttered. "The war's over but that doesn't mean the torture is. I'm in a better place than I was a year ago but I still suffer with nightmares, it's normal," she sighed.

"You win,"

"Win?"

"Your secret was definitely bigger than mine," he nodded and he was pleased when it pulled a laugh from her.

"Surprised?"

He nodded. "Still not sure how I didn't pass out," he replied and she laughed again, her eyes seeming to light up a little more. "I've read the information pack."

"All of it?" She asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yep, it's why I'm still awake, I couldn't sleep until I'd finished it. I've got to say, I don't know how you managed to get through all of that."

She smiled sadly. "Harry," she answered. "He got me through it, just as I did for him. He's not just my best friend, he's my little brother. We may not share blood and I don't care what anyone says, he's my brother, he's my family, he's all that I have left. He wasn't happy about my moving here and joining the Avengers, but it's about time he has some happiness in his life."

"And what about you? You didn't seem happy about being here."

"I'm not happy about the fact I wasn't given a _choice_. If they'd have just asked me I probably would've agreed. Besides Harry, I had nothing keeping me in London. I'm hoping this can be a fresh start for me, somewhere I can find my own happiness, somewhere that will help me deal with the aftermath of my actions in the war. Being here, with you and the Avengers, it might just be what I need."

"I hope it is," he said sincerely and she gave him a small smile, her eyes fluttering closed. "You need sleep," he said.

She sighed. "It's no use, I'm tired but I won't be able to sleep again tonight. Some nights are good, some are bad, you've caught me on a bad one."

He frowned before looking down to his phone and he got an idea. Picking it up and unwinding the chord, he brought up his playlist and flicked through the songs before picking one at random and pressing an earbud into his ear and holding out the other to her in offering.

She looked confused so he said, "Sometimes listening to music helps me sleep."

She smiled tiredly and took it from him, pressing it into her ear. "I haven't listened to muggle music in years so don't be surprised if I don't know any of these songs," she said as he pressed play, stretched his legs out and set his phone down in his lap.

"Do you have your own music?" He asked curiously.

She tilted her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. "Yes, we do," she answered. "As I said before, we're still human and we have the same needs, wants and desires. We have our own music, foods, schools, hospitals, government, law enforcement, teachers, newspapers, banks and monetary system, modes of transport and communication; we even have our own sports, a league and the world cup."

"It's still hard to wrap my head around the fact magic exists, there's an entire hidden world from us and I'm sat next to a witch. It doesn't matter that I know aliens exist, I can't seem to process it."

"I know; I went through all this, too, once. Strange things used to happen when I was younger, children have accidental magical outbursts and they only stop when they get their wands at the age of eleven. When I was mad vases would shatter, if I wanted a book but couldn't reach it, it would levitate over to me, food I didn't want to eat or clothes I didn't want to wear would end up in the bin. It scared the hell out of my parents but they were relieved when they finally had an explanation as to why all of those things happened."

"Your parents, what did they do?" He asked, wondering if she'd answer him.

"Dentists, both of them," she said. "As you can imagine, they were very strict about my sugar intake and oral hygiene." He chuckled. "Now they're gone I tend to eat a lot of sugar just so I can remember the way they used to tell me off, just so I can remember their faces and voices."

His hand reached out on its own and covered her hand that rested on top of her knee. In response she twisted her hand beneath his and twined their fingers together, bringing them down to rest on the ground between them.

"So, what music did you used to listen to?"

"Not a lot, to be honest books were more my thing. But my dad used to play a lot of classic rock in the car, and my mum wasn't that fussed, she liked anything from the ‘50s up to the '90s, so I'm most familiar with that, modern music is a foreign subject to me," she answered.

He noted that the more she talked, the sleepier she sounded and he felt his mouth twitch into a smile when a few minutes later, she shifted to get more comfortable with her head tilting to rest against his shoulder. He didn't say anything, not wanting to disturb her and he let his own eyes close and his head drop back against the wall, listening to both the music playing and the sound of her breathing evening out.

He must've fallen asleep because he felt himself startling awake, his eyes opening at the sound of footsteps. His neck ached a little at the odd angle it laid at and he realised that he'd fallen asleep with his cheek pressed atop Hermione's head. He didn't know how she didn't wake at both the sound and him moving, but he supposed she was so tired nothing would disturb her.

When he looked up to see who was walking down the corridor, his eyes caught the gaze of the redhead assassin who was still wearing her spy suit and boots, so he assumed she'd been off doing something and hadn't yet gone to bed like the rest of the team. At seeing him and Hermione in their current positions, she came to a stop in front of him, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow, her arms crossed over her chest and an amused smirk on her face. He shifted nervously but tried not to, not wanting to wake Hermione.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, Miss. Romanoff," he said nervously.

"What's up, Peter," she replied, still watching him with her amused smirk. "Want to tell me what's going on here?"

"Well... Er... Actually..."

"Relax, Kid," she snorted. "You don't have to tell me, I can probably work it out for myself, but you should get yourself to bed, you're going to need your sleep."

She moved over to Hermione's room and opened the door, before stepping back and making to continue down the corridor, only she stopped and looked down at him.

"You know it's not against the rules to date a member of the team, right?"

"She's just my friend," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "If you say so," she said. "And Peter, you can call me Nat like everyone else," with that she left down the corridor and he watched as she went.

He sighed before pulling the earbud from his ear, removing his hand from Hermione's and then carefully shifting out from beneath her. It was a little difficult to lift her into his arms without waking her but he managed to do it without her making a sound. Toeing the door open a little wider, he stepped into her room and headed for the bed -briefly observing that her room was identical to his- before he gently set her down on the mattress, covered her with the blanket and then turned and left, closing the door behind him.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count: 25

Peter sat in his seat at the table in the conference room, absentmindedly drumming his fingers against the edge of the table while his leg bounced. He wasn't nervous, just bored. After being woken by a banging on the door, he dressed and readied for the day, grabbed some breakfast from the cafeteria and then met up with the rest of the team in the conference room. The plan was to spend the morning with Hermione, learning more about her magic and abilities and then to start training after lunch.

He was bored out of his mind; it seemed he'd been the only one to have managed to finish reading the information pack Hermione had put together and the rest of the team were currently sat in silence, doing just that. Steve and Bucky both sat up straight in their chairs, their papers lying on the table in front of them, Sam was slouched in his chair, holding his papers in front of his face with his elbows resting on the armrests and doing half turns in his swivel chair. Wanda sat with her legs folded on the chair, the papers lying in her lap with her head in her hands and looking down at the papers while Natasha, Clint and Tony were all leaning back into their chairs with their feet propped up on the table and the papers resting against their knees or being held up to their faces.

Peter wasn't sure how much longer he could take the boredom and his eyes moved to over to Hermione. She was sat at the head of the table, her feet also propped up on the table and she had a cushion behind her back which she'd conjured out of thin air, no one but him had noticed. Like the previous day she wore a long-sleeved black t-shirt, black jeans and knee-high boots and her hair was left to fall over her shoulders. He blinked when a bag of candy appeared out of nowhere and she plucked it off the table, rummaging around in search for what she wanted.

Looking up and seeing him staring and his bored expression, she picked a random candy from the bag and threw it across the room which he easily caught. Sometime later it had turned into a game, with Hermione throwing candies about the room and him shooting out webbing to catch them before they hit the ground, table or one of their fellow Avengers in the head. When it became too easy Hermione added her magic into the mix, magically controlling the movement and speed of each candy, making it more difficult for him to catch them. It was essentially a whack-a-mole with magic, candy and webbing.

At some point during their game Director Fury had come into the conference room, looked about the room and its occupants, including their various positions and him and Hermione playing with candies, magic and webbing, before rolling his eye, letting out a sigh and leaving the room without saying a single word. He and Hermione just shrugged at each other and continued with their game.

Sometime later, Steve was the first to look up from the papers in front of him, sitting back in his chair and letting out a sigh as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Peter watched as Hermione threw a piece of candy at Steve, it hit him in the face and he opened his eyes, looked down at the candy on his lap and then up to her. She shrugged her shoulders, he tilted his head in thanks and then picked up the candy and ate it.

After that, one by one everyone started to finish reading their information packs and by the time Tony had finished, him being the last, it wasn't just him and Hermione playing their game, but the rest of the Avengers, too, all of them throwing candies about the room and he had to catch them all with his webs without leaving his chair. Whilst it was also a bit of fun that kept them entertained, it also helped him to work on his aim. Looking up, Tony blinked in surprise to the sight that met him, webbing stuck to the walls and windows and candy wrappers littering the table and floor before he shook his head.

"Now that everyone's done, any questions?" Hermione said. Every hand shot up and with Tony being sat with his feet propped up on the table, he was able to raise his legs, too. "One at a time, Captain, you first."

"How did you kill Voldemort and why did it take so long?"

Hermione blew a curl out of her face and reached for a candy, fiddling with it in her hands as a distraction.

"He was a _very_ powerful dark wizard," she answered. "One of the worst to be seen in a very long time. He craved power and his greatest fear was dying. He discovered a way of making himself immortal and it was done by committing murder, carrying out a dark ritual that allowed him to fracture his soul and he took that fragmented part of his soul and sealed it inside an object. This form of magic is not only archaic and dark, but it was deemed to be so monstrous and wrong by defying the laws of nature, the knowledge of its existence was wiped from all books, scrolls and texts, all except for one and, of course, he found it," she answered. "With his soul now separated, he was unable to die unless each piece of his soul was destroyed first. We discovered he did this seven times. The problem was, we didn't know what objects he'd used, where they were hidden or how to destroy them, and until they were destroyed he couldn't be killed. That's why he didn't die the first time, he was just defeated until he returned to full power. That's why it took nearly twenty years to finally kill him."

Peter sat back in his chair, his head already starting to hurt.

"Yes, Tweety Bird?" Hermione asked when Sam raised his hand and they sniggered at her.

He rolled his eyes but his mouth did twitch in amusement. "If you don't have phones, internet or computers, how do you communicate? And how did you communicate during your war?"

"Well, we send letters through owl post. In my world owls aren't wild animals, they're a bit more domesticated and aside from them being a witch or wizard's familial pet, they deliver our mail for us. Owls are very clever and they can always find their intended target no matter where they are in the world, the only problem is, they can be intercepted. We can also make floo calls. It's essentially a bit like a video call only we do it using the flames in our fireplaces. And then there's a Patronus if you can cast one."

"And that is?" Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow.

She reached for her boot where she pulled her wand and after she muttered beneath her breath, noises of surprise were heard and they startled in their seats, but Peter was too busy staring at the majestic blue-silver lioness that was now stood in the centre of the table after forming from a misty-smoke.

"That's a Patronus," she nodded to it. "You can touch her, she won't hurt you, that's not what they're for," she said and he turned his head to see that Wanda had reached out to touch it but had paused.

With Hermione's permission, the brunette reached out a little further and seemed to run her hand through the fur of the lioness. The only movement from it was it falling down on to its stomach and then laying on its side, its tail swishing back and forth.

"It feels strange," Wanda commented. "It feels warm and comforting, _good_."

Hermione nodded. "A Patronus is one of the purest forms of magic to exist. It's part of me, part of my soul and magic. A Patronus is used to fight off against dark creatures known as Dementors, which I mentioned yesterday as they are the creatures that suck out your soul. They're also used for companionship and they can deliver messages to anyone I wish, and this _can't_ be intercepted."

"Can everyone do this?" Natasha asked, also reaching out to touch the lioness and it rolled onto its back, twisting and rocking as though it was trying to scratch itself against the surface of the table and Hermione snorted and shook her head. It really was a strange sight to see.

"No, this is another branch of magic that most tend to struggle with. A dark magic practitioner is unable to cast a Patronus due to the pureness of the magic itself. So there's your number one signal that I'm a good witch, but aside from that, you have to have a happy memory and a belief in yourself that is powerful enough to conjure this. It took me six months to conjure my otter."

"So why is it a lioness now?"

"The war changed me. A Patronus can be affected by serious emotional upset or significant changes in your life, war is both. I went from an otter to her," she gestured to the lioness with a nod of her head. "Got the shock of my life when I shifted for the first time after the war, my friend fainted and nearly fell down the stairs," she said and they snorted in amusement. "I'm not complaining though, this form certainly comes in handy."

"I bet," Natasha said amused, her mouth twitching when the big cat rolled onto its stomach, crawled forward and then nudged Hermione's feet with its head.

"Stop that," Hermione scowled and they snorted when in response the large cat swatted at her feet with a paw. "She's in a playful mood today," she sighed, lifting her wand to do something when the door opened and Director Fury stepped in.

His eye darted about the room and then landed on the large blue-silver cat in the centre of the table, now chewing on Hermione's shoe but given that it wasn't a real cat, it didn't hurt her or cause any damage, it just looked funny.

"I'm not even going to ask," he said, before backing out the room and closing the door, chuckles and sniggers ringing out.

"Alright then, just for five minutes," Hermione said before she pointed her wand to the surface of the table and a large white dot appeared. The large cat immediately pounced on it but Hermione moved it and the lioness turned to follow it, trying to catch it with its paws.

"It's like a cat," Sam said in surprise but also looking a little awed.

"Yep," Hermione nodded, "When not given a specific task, a Patronus will resort to its natural behaviour, and a cat's still a cat no matter its size. This one, however, loves to play, and she especially loves the kids at the hospital. I'll conjure her up and leave her on the paediatric ward to entertain the kids, I'll come back two hours later and she'll still be playing with them," she said absentmindedly, still controlling the dot the cat was chasing.

"That's amazing," Peter said and he received a smile from her, her eyes brighter and her dimples appearing. He had to force down the blush threatening to take root on his cheeks.

"Tony, what's your question... Only one," she added and his mentor scowled but shook his head.

"Teleportation," he said.

"Right, we call it apparition. We don't have cars or aeroplanes because we don't need them. We have our own transport. The one you'll be the most familiar with is flying on a broomstick. As I said yesterday, I hate it, but should it be required I can fly one. Most children grow up flying; they get their first training broom at the age of four, like a muggle child would a bike. By the time they turn eleven and go to school, they're decent flyers. First years have to take flying lessons as part of the curriculum, giving all children the chance to learn or improve on what they already know. Since I didn't find out about my magic until I was eleven, I was at a disadvantage as are all Muggleborns and Half-bloods that are raised here, in this world. Anyway, then there's flooing, which is similar to teleportation. We're able to travel from point A to point B by using our fireplaces. As long as you're connected to the floo network and the place you wish to go has a fireplace, you can just step right on through. It can be warded so only certain people have access. Next is port keying and again, it's similar to teleportation. An object is charmed with the coordinates to take you to a specific destination and you arrive within minutes. Port keys are used for long distance travel. And finally apparition; it's more of a short distance travel method but if you wish to travel across countries it requires several pit-stops to recharge the battery, so to speak. In order to apparate, you have to be over the age of seventeen, which is when magical children are officially considered adults, and you have to pass your test, exactly as you would with driving a car."

"Can you teleport anywhere?"

"I can only travel to places I have either been to before or that I can visualise in my mind, whether it's a memory, a photo or an image off google maps."

"So you can't say, break into a bank vault?"

"Not unless I've been inside the vault before," she shook her head. "Apparition can be dangerous, it's illegal to do it when intoxicated or if a witch is more than four months pregnant. If you lose focus during travel you can splinch yourself which is essentially tearing parts of your body off."

Peter found himself wincing and shivered at the thought of losing an arm or leg in such a way.

"When my friends and I were fugitives, we were nearly caught and I apparated us away and when we landed my friend's arm was nearly torn off from the socket. I've honestly never felt so guilty in my life for what I did to him, accident or not. He screamed for hours and he was delirious for days after the pain meds I fed him. He never blamed me which I found odd considering he's got a short fuse," she shrugged, before looking up away from the table and the large cat. "Does someone want to take over; my arm's starting to hurt?"

"I'll do it," Tony said quickly.

"No," she said and he pouted.

Her eyes locked on his and she raised an eyebrow in question. He swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous and his palms grew sweaty as he wiped them on his jeans. He gave a nod and Hermione threw her wand across the table, he caught it easily, staring down at it and frowning slightly.

"It's... buzzing," he said. "I can feel it." And he could, he could feel the vibrations against his skin, it sending a shiver down his spine and the hair on his arms stood up on end, but it was by no means an uncomfortable feeling and it didn't hurt, it just felt strange.

"It doesn't like you," she said simply.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

She shrugged. "Wands are loyal to their owners, the wand chooses the wizard, is what I've always been told. Every witch and wizard has a wand that's perfect for them, that'll only work to its full potential if it finds the right owner, and right now it knows that you're not me and it's trying to frighten you off, but it won't hurt you. Muggles are unable to use a wand but seeing as you're not casting a spell, as I've already done it, you'll be fine. Just gave it wave before she loses patience and tries to eat your shoe, which isn't possible of course, but still..."

Raising the wand a little higher, he watched as the large white dot suddenly sprang from one end of the table to the other and the large cat pounced on it like a little playful kitten, pulling snorts from them.

"Wands, how are they made?" Tony asked, eyeing the wooden stick in his hand hungrily and Peter made sure to tighten his grip in case Tony was unable to resist and he tried to take it off him.

"I can't answer that, wand lore is a very complex bit of magic, one I'll never be able to get my head around. But what I do know is that it’s an extremely rare occasion for two wands to be the same and there are many factors that can change and alter the finished product."

"Such as?"

"Well, there's the wood for a start. Traditional materials would be ash, hawthorn, cherry, elm, holly and hornbeam. But yew, oak, cyprus, vine and walnut can also be used as well as a few others. Then you need a core which is what regulates and focuses the magic when spell casting and the wand core is what affects the temperament of the wand. So it's usually things such as kneazle whiskers, kelpie hair, phoenix feathers, unicorn tail hairs and dragon heartstrings."

Peter almost dropped the wand in shock at the mention of the last three and he only stopped himself from doing so knowing that his mentor wouldn't be able to resist scrambling across the table to retrieve and examine it. But still, dragons, unicorns and phoenixes? No, he couldn't believe that.

"What?" Clint asked loudly. "They're real? You're telling us they frigging real?" He said with wide eyes and Peter found himself leaning forward along with the others.

Hermione sighed, pushed her hair back from her face and reached for another candy. "Yes, they're real."

"But...But...They can't be!" He exclaimed.

Peter noted from the corner of his eye the way the large cat turned to Clint, looking almost suspicious of him. If the lioness existed to protect Hermione from danger and it perceived Clint as a threat, would it hurt him? Peter didn't want to find out so he found the sense to distract the large cat with the white dot but still kept his focus on Hermione.

"They are," she nodded. "A friend of mine works on a Dragon Reserve in Romania and he breeds, rescues and rehabilitates injured dragons. Their numbers are severely declining and if the dragon tamers can't get it back up they're going to be extinct soon. As it is, he's raising a lot of dragons by hand the moment they hatch from their eggs because the mothers either reject them or are too sick to look after them, and that means they can't be released into the wild because they won't know how to survive and they won't perceive humans as a threat, putting them at risk. Yes, unicorns exist, I met a foal when I was younger and in my care of magical creatures class, and yes, phoenixes are real but there's so few of them they're hardly seen anymore. But my Headmaster did have a phoenix for a familiar which is highly unusual given their independent natures and distrust for humans. Unfortunately, when he died Fawkes disintegrated and this time he didn't rise from his ashes, but it was believed he was over two thousand years old and only stayed around so long out of loyalty to my Headmaster. Are there any more creatures you wish to ask are real or fiction?"

"Vampires?" Sam said.

"Real and very dangerous," she nodded and his eyes widened.

"Werewolves?" Wanda asked.

"Yep, they're real. The majority of them aren't very nice but that's understandable given the way they're treated by the wizarding public. Hopefully, the laws regarding the species will change to benefit them rather than punish them."

"Giants?" Bucky asked.

"Yes," she said, a fond smile crossing her face. "I know a giant actually, he's a sweetie really, a bit handsy but he just needs a firm hand and a bit of company every now and then."

They blinked at her.

"Leprechauns?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Real," Hermione nodded. "And to save you time, so are fairies, pixies, griffins, sphinxes, trolls and ogres, and a fair few others I know you've never heard of."

"The kraken?" Tony challenged.

"The kraken's just a giant squid, so yes, it's real. There's a giant squid that lives in the lake at my magic school, and he's a real sweetheart. He loves to eat toast, to have his tentacles tickled, to play fetch with a stick and he's quite fond of classical music which he likes to splash about to."

"That backfired," Tony muttered as they all stared at her in disbelief and Peter definitely had a headache, not to mention, his arm was starting to ache a little but Hermione seemed to know this and looked to him.

"Hey, Tweety," she called. Sam raised an eyebrow. "You wanna play with the putty tat?" She asked and the others sniggered at her.

"You're gunna fit right in, ya little firecracker," he told her, amused by her words, before holding his hand out expectantly.

Peter threw the wand across the table and Sam caught it as his mentor tried to swipe it mid-air, and he sat down with a sulky pout and his arms crossed while Sam moved the white dot about the table.

"Back to wands, my wand," she gestured to it with a sweep of her hand before reaching for another candy, "Is made of vine wood and has a dragon heartstring core. I did a bit of research when I was in school because I was curious, so all I can say about my wand is that it's quite temperamental due to the dragon heartstring and it also allows me to learn new spells and charms a lot quicker than a wand with a different core, and dragon heartstring core wands also tend to produce more magical power than any other. As for the wood, the vine wood is less commonly used and it means that my wand is quite sensitive, the slightest touch and it'll cast any spell or charm that I wish it to," she explained. "Now, we've had transport, communication, the death of a dictator, wand lore and magical creatures, anything else you wish to know?"

"I know you were said you were born the way you are, but have you always been able to do magic?" Wanda asked.

"Yes and no," she answered. "When we're young our magic is tied into our emotions and because we don't get our wands until we turn eleven and head off to school, and the wand is both a conductor of our magic and a means to control it, children suffer with accidental magical outbursts. Most magical children experience their first between the ages of four and six, and as they get older they tend to taper off until we get our wands and they're supposed to stop entirely, though that's not always the case. Even children that grow up in my world with the knowledge of magic and that live with it and witness it every day, they don't get their wands until they turn eleven, either."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"It's illegal."

"It's illegal?"

"Yep, it's illegal," she nodded. "Children are only allowed to practice magic when on school grounds, so when they return home for the Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays, it's illegal for them to perform any form of magic. There's a magical trace on every child that is under the age of seventeen, which as I said earlier, is when they officially become an adult and the trace is removed. If they do practice magic, the government will know about it and depending on the severity of the case, they'll either be given a caution or face being put on trial and it has happened were someone has had their wand taken from then, it's been snapped and they're forbidden from practising magic no matter how old they are. Once a magical child turns seventeen, they're legally allowed to perform magic off school grounds because they're adults despite not graduating until they're eighteen."

"That seems a bit harsh," Tony pointed out.

"I know, but it's for the protection of our people. And if you've got a young, inexperienced child running around performing magic and they don't have the proper training or education, they can hurt a lot of people or themselves. By the age of seventeen, they've already completed five to six years of schooling and they know the basics of spell casting. My people are very strict with the laws about the practice of underage magic as well as revealing magic to the non-magical world. But we also have laws to protect you, too."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, if magic is used with the intentions of harming or killing a non-magical, you've broken the law and are likely to face a trial and a prison sentence, which is, yet, another reason as to why no one can find out about my existence."

"What happens with the outbursts?" Clint asked curiously.

"It depends on the child," Hermione said, reaching for another candy. She hadn't been kidding about her sugar level intake, Peter thought. "For me, it was shattering vases when I was mad, food I didn't want to eat and clothes I didn't want to wear would end up in the bin, books I wanted to read but couldn't reach would levitate over to me. Once I was sad, I remembered I'd been bullied in school and I couldn't stop crying, I accidentally brought my teddy bear to life."

Peter blinked at that, imagining the same thing happening to his old stuffed tiger he'd had since he was a toddler.

"Every child is different, I know someone who set fire to a table, someone who vanished the glass from a snake enclosure at the zoo allowing a snake to get free, there was someone who turned a teddy bear into a live spider, and someone who exploded a turkey," she shrugged and they snorted at the visualisation of such an act.

"I have a question," Bucky spoke and Hermione raised an eyebrow as he sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are there blanks in the timeline?"

Peter was glad someone else had noticed it besides himself, and he was briefly aware of Sam handing Hermione's wand off to Steve whilst Tony pouted at being passed over for having a turn at playing with the lioness that was still on top of the table.

She frowned, her eyes clouding over with pain and she visibly flinched, them all noticing that her hand came up to touch her left forearm, before she shook her head and took a deep breath, seeming to calm herself.

"It was war, bad things happen as I know you're aware," she said, looking directly at his metal arm and Bucky frowned in thought.

"Something happened to you specifically, didn't it?"

She took another breath and Peter found himself unable to tear his eyes from her and his hands moved to the armrest of his chair, gripping them tightly.

"A lot of things happened to me, things that haunt me and forever will. Things I won't and can't forget, things that I see every time I close my eyes. They're not mentioned because one, you don't need to know about them, and two, I don't like talking about it," she said, her hand gripping onto her left sleeve and their eyes darted to it and then back to her face.

"Fair enough," Bucky backed off.

"What do your parents think of this?" Clint asked, but then he was the only parent in the room so his fathering instincts were bound to kick in at some point. "You're only eighteen, right? Surely they can't be too happy about what happened to you, or about you being here now."

"I wouldn't know," she said and Peter made sure to hold her gaze so she wouldn't feel alone as she spoke her next words. "They're dead."

Silence fell in the room as they stared at her.

"And to save you the time of asking, they were murdered... Because of me."

Peter had known they'd been killed but he hadn't known the reasoning behind it and he felt himself growing nauseous.

She took a deep breath. "I was the second biggest target during the war and I knew Voldemort would want to use my parents against me, to lure me out and capture me so he could use me to get to my friend. I knew of our mission and I planned on protecting my parents but to do that I had to wipe their memories of me, I planned to wipe all trace of myself from their lives so to them they would've never had a daughter. I had new identities ready and I'd bought them plane tickets to Australia. The week before I planned to carry it all out, I left the house to grab some supplies to ready for our mission and when I got home I walked into a blood bath. My parents had been tortured and slaughtered," she said.

Her eyes filled with sadness and anger and pain and Peter felt his heart breaking for her, he felt the urge to just stand up, walk over to her and hug her to him tightly until she stopped hurting. The large cat was no longer playing with Steve and the white dot on the table, she was now laid by Hermione's feet, nudging her leg with her paw and licking at her shoes.

"We had to cover up their murders from the muggle authorities and I never really had time to grieve for them. I was needed, I had to be strong for everyone else, I had to be focused and ready. So when the war was over I lost my way a little bit, I shut everyone out and I stopped eating, not that it mattered as I'd been half starving from our time of being fugitives. It was my friend and one of my professors that helped me through it, they gave me a purpose by helping me to see what I wanted to do with my life, and that was help people."

"Shit," Tony muttered, them all staring at her in various forms of shock, disbelief and sadness.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," she said, taking a breath and seeming to pull herself together.

"But you do have other family, right?" Clint asked, his voice softening in a way as if he were talking to one of his children.

"No,"

"Siblings?"

"No,"

"Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents?"

"Nope,"

"Second cousin twice removed?"

She snorted at him and shook her head. "No, it's just me, well, me and Camilla," she gestured to the large cat that had since returned to chasing the white dot Steve was directing the movement of.

"Camilla? You named her?"

"No, my friend, the dragon tamer did. In Roman mythology, Camilla was a warrior maiden."

"Aptly named," Bucky tipped his head, before reluctantly accepting Hermione's wand from Steve and an amused smile pulling at his mouth at the way the large cat nearly fell off the table as it skidded across the surface to follow the dot.

"Well, you're not alone, you've got us now," Clint said. Hermione looked to him with a raised eyebrow, and Peter saw the rest of the team sharing knowing smiles. "We're all orphans here."

"My parents are still alive," Sam said, raising his hand slightly.

"Shut it, Tweety," Clint said, using Hermione's new nickname and they snorted at him. "Ignore him, he doesn't count," he said, looking at her. "The point is, we're all misfits and we've all got our own problems, but we've got each other to help us through them."

"Thank you," Hermione said softly, her eyes darting about the room before she cleared her throat. "But the only problem Tony's got is that hideous shirt. Where'd you get it?" She asked. Tony scowled and they snorted. "I'm only asking so I can avoid the place of purchase." They sniggered at her and Peter's mouth pulled into a smile when he saw his mentor let out a huff and he childishly crossed his arms. "Right, any more questions that are going to sting like salt in a wound?"

"Why don't you mention anyone by name? You didn't in the papers either," Sam said.

"Security measure," she answered. "As far as you're aware, I'm the only magical practitioner in existence. If word gets out that you know the identities of some magical practitioners, agents will be sent out to do damage control and I'll get in a lot of trouble. We don't want my people to know what I'm doing which is why I'm still going to have to keep up appearances in my world. The majority believe we should keep ourselves to ourselves and you should do the same," she shrugged, once more reaching for a piece of candy and Peter saw Bucky throw Hermione's wand across the table to Clint, who took up the mantle of keeping the large cat entertained.

"You said you had your own sports?" Peter said, wanting to give her a break from all the bad memories and she looked to him gratefully.

"We do, the most popular is Quidditch, and I'm not too fond of it if I'm being honest. The rest of my people love it, I think it's dangerous."

"Why?"

"Well, first of all, it all takes place hundreds of feet in the air with the players flying their brooms, and there's four balls in play. One is a bit like a soccer ball, two are like dodgeballs and the final one like a golf ball with wings. There's seven players on a team, a keeper to guard the three hoops and to stop the other team from scoring. The three chasers who are the only ones that are allowed to take a shot at the hoops, two beaters who have bats that they use to hit the 'dodgeballs' at the opposing team's players to knock them off their brooms and distract them, and a seeker whose job is to catch the flying golf ball which is so fast it can barely be seen. The game's not over until that flying golf ball is caught, which means in some cases a game has been known to last seventy-two hours and they had to keep switching the players out so they could eat and sleep. Essentially, it's dodgeball, baseball and basketball rolled into one and it's played on flying brooms."

"That's awesome," he said, finding himself grinning.

She snorted at him. "Glad you think so, but I've yet to witness a game that's not ended with an injury. My friends played it in school and I hated having to sit in the stands and watch them getting injured. Actually, my best friend's girlfriend, she's been offered a position for a professional team once she graduates school."

"So it's a big thing, seeing as you have professional players?"

"Sure is," she nodded. "Quidditch is our football, there's a league cup once a year which includes teams throughout the UK, and the world cup occurs every four years and is international, it's our super bowl. I was actually at the final a few years back, you know, before everything went tits up and Voldemort returned to full power. It was Bulgaria versus Ireland, Ireland won. Any more questions?"

"Yes, but I'm getting a headache," Sam said.

"You and me both," she replied. "Well, take five minutes to process everything and I'll just run to the bathroom. When I get back we'll continue with this session of information overload. I trust I can rely on you not to give Tony that," she said, looking to Clint and gesturing to her wand which he held in his hand.

"I'll guard it with my life," he nodded, his mouth twitching.

"You better; I'm putting a lot of trust in you by even allowing you to touch my wand. It's an unspoken rule that we never give our wand to another, it's like giving you my arm."

She swung her legs back onto the ground and stood from her chair. "Stay here," she instructed the large cat, before she crossed the room and left out the door, Peter watching her as she left.

"You know, Queens..." Peter looked to Steve, seeing the way he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, Bucky and Sam mimicking him with amused looks on their faces. "It's not against the rules to be involved with a member of the team."

"She's just my friend," he said, shifting in his seat. They all smirked at him.

"I believe you," he nodded. "But if you wanted to..."

Peter felt his face flame bright red and he jumped up from his seat. "I...Er... I need the bathroom," he interrupted before all but running out of the room.

"Kid's got it bad," He heard Sam snort and Peter's face only flamed redder.

Hermione hadn't gotten very far since leaving and he quickly caught up to her, falling into step beside her and she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I... I thought I'd show you where the bathroom is," he said.

"I know where the bathroom is," she replied.

"Oh, great, then can you show me because I have no idea where it is?"

She snorted at him and shook her head in amusement. They continued their walk in silence and when they reached the bathroom, Hermione made to walk further down the corridor which he assumed would lead her to the girl's bathroom, but before she could, his hand reached out and circled her wrist gently. She turned to look at him over her shoulder and her eyes locked on his questioningly.

In all honesty, he didn't know why he'd stopped her from walking away but he wasn't surprised or disappointed when she let out a sigh and she turned to face him, moving closer until her arms wrapped around his neck and her forehead pressed against his shoulder and his arms came up to wrap around her back, holding her to him gently. They stood in silence, the steady sound of her heartbeat thumping in his ears and the scent of vanilla surrounding him. He wasn't quite sure how much time passed but she was soon pulling away from him and stepping back.

"Thank you," she said, before continuing down the corridor.

By the time he got back to the conference room, he entered to knowing looks and to see Natasha was now the one to be playing with the lioness but Hermione hadn't yet returned. As he took his seat, Hermione walked into the room carrying a box of donuts which she placed in the centre of the table, grabbed one for herself and then retook her seat, repositioning the cushion behind her back to get more comfortable and propping her feet up on the table once more.

"Where'd you get donuts?" Clint asked amused but he did reach for one himself.

"Cafeteria," she shrugged. "Anyway, let's continue with these questions."

Half an hour later found the donuts having been eaten, everyone but Tony having had a turn at playing with the lioness and Hermione's wand returned to her whilst the large cat lounged in the centre of the table, basking in the beam of sunlight that shone through the windows. Peter found himself leaning back in his chair with his fingers drumming against his leg, Bucky and Steve were leaning back into their chairs with their arms crossed, Sam was slumped in seat with his elbows on the armrests and Wanda sat with her feet pulled up and tucked beneath her. Hermione, Natasha, Clint and Tony were all sat with their feet propped up on the table, Tony with his hands clasped on his stomach, Natasha with her arms folded and her head tilted back as she looked up at the ceiling and Clint was leaning so far back into his seat it was tipping back and lifting off the ground.

They were all taking a little break, sitting in silence and processing everything else they'd learned and Peter wasn't sure how much more he could take. Learning about all the things that were hidden from him was awesome but also a little overwhelming and he wasn't the only one to feel that.

The silence was ruined and everyone startled when a blue-silver, misty stag appeared out of nowhere, coming to a stop in the centre of the table and standing tall and proud.

"Hell!" Clint called out in surprise and his chair nearly toppled backwards entirely and Peter would've laughed if he wasn't so surprised himself, especially when the large cat rolled onto its back and batted at the stag's legs, as it lowered its head and butted it against the lioness' affectionately. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Hermione's eyes had widened and her mouth parted in surprise.

"Hermione," the stag opened its mouth and a male voice spoke, once again startling them and they all stared at it wide-eyed. "For Merlin's Sake, I've been trying to get a hold of you for ages. Why aren't you answering my owls? It doesn't matter, I'll see you soon."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare," she muttered to the stag, but the large animal didn't reply, rather it disintegrated into a puff of smoke and the lioness looked disappointed before settling back down against the table.

"What just happened?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My friend, that's what and if he even thinks about..."

A sudden 'thud' startled them again and they all turned to look behind Tony, where a man that definitely wasn't there before now stood.

Peter eyed him carefully, seeing his messy dark hair, his bright green eyes hidden behind glasses and a strange lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Given that he wore what looked to be grey graduation robes, he had a wooden stick in his hand and he looked to be about his age, he suspected he might've been Hermione's best friend.

"Damn it, Potter!" Hermione sighed in annoyance, and Peter saw the way he scanned the occupants of the room carefully before his eyes landed on Hermione, and Peter knew he wasn't the only one who was staring. "What are you doing here?"

"You haven't been answering my owls; I've been trying to reach you for over a week."

"I told you I was busy and I wouldn't be able to speak to you as much as usual. How did you even find me?"

"Well... I... You know..." He stumbled, suddenly looking nervous.

"Seriously!" She said annoyed. "You tracked me here? Not only is that abuse of your power, but an invasion of my privacy. Do you know what would happen to me if one of your colleagues decides to check the port keying logs and sees an unidentified location in the records? This is all supposed to be on the down low; even Kingsley wouldn't be able to stop them from putting me on trial and executing me. Merlin, Harry, I thought you were smarter than that."

"Sorry," he said, looking apologetic and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, shifting on his feet. "You and I both know you're the brains and I'm the reckless one."

She let out a sigh, rolled her eyes and flopped her head back against her chair. "Well, now that you're here I may as well introduce you. Harry, these are the Avengers, Avengers, this is Harry Potter, the wizard I told you about."

They nodded to him but didn't speak, too busy watching him closely and he nodded in return, his eyes darting about the room once more, his mouth twitching when the saw the lioness in the middle of the table licking at her fur, and then his eyes moved back to Hermione.

"So, what do you need? If it wasn't important you would've given me time to answer instead of coming here without my permission. You are aware that you've technically just infiltrated a highly secure secret headquarters, right?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," he winced. "But let's be honest, this isn't the first time one of us has broken into somewhere we shouldn't have."

"Hang on," she said with a frown, her feet coming down to the ground and sitting up in her chair. "You're not just wearing your Auror robes, you're wearing your 'I'm about to go into battle' Auror robes. What's going on?"

"'Mione, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but..."

She took a deep breath and her hands gripped the armrests of her chair. "Please don't say it, Harry," she breathed out. "Please don't," she begged, her eyes filling with sadness, pain and anger.

"Dolohov's resurfaced," he said softly.

Hermione's body seemed to shake in anger, their eyes widening and they shared looks of surprise when little golden sparks seemed to fly from her hair, raining down to the ground. Peter got the feeling he was about to witness her temper and whilst she hadn't technically done anything yet, it was both frightening and awesome.

"It's why I've been trying to contact you, you've got a right to know, but he's not alone."

"The rest of them?"

"Yeah, they're all with him. It seems he's their leader now, they take orders from him. We've received intel they're going to attack the Ministry, the hospital and Diagon Alley. By our reckoning there's at least one hundred and fifty of them, it seems he's been recruiting in Europe and building up an army. If we don't stop them before the attacks, thousands are going to suffer, the Ministry has security but the hospital and Diagon Alley are most open to an attack."

"It's all hands on deck," she said.

"Yep, that's why I'm here. The Auror department's set up a raid of the warehouse they've been hiding in and given the numbers we're up against, some of The Order's coming to help finish what we started. 'Mione, you know I wanted to keep you out of this but I could really do with having you by my side on this one, there's no one I trust more than you to watch my back."

"What about your new partner?"

"He's an idiot, he hexed himself in the face the other day, I don't even know how he got into the training programme, let alone passed."

Hermione took a deep breath and she let go of the armrests, her hands forming into fists and the little golden sparks seemed to fizzle out, her hair looking wilder and bushier than it had before.

"When?"

"Thirty minutes,"

"Hell, Potter, a little warning would've been nice," she glared at him and he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, been a little busy this week, I've barely seen Ginny 'cause I've been at the office preparing for the raid. And you're lucky, she wanted to come here with me but Molly was able to distract her long enough for me to escape."

Hermione rolled her eyes but stood from her chair. "Alright then, let's do this, but you better make sure Dolohov stays well away from me," she warned.

"If you kill him there's no proof that you're the one to have done so, there'll be too many spells rebounding and ricocheting that he could've been hit by any one of them," her friend replied. "Now, put these on and activate the port key when you're ready."

The wizard waved his wand and a set of folded grey robes to match his own appeared with a baby rattle sat on top before he was gone from the room. Hermione silently reached for the robes, slipped them on and buttoned them up, her wand held in her hand and she stared down at the baby rattle on the table.

"What the _hell_ just happened?" Steve broke the silence, voicing the question they all wanted an answer to.

"A lot of Voldemort's followers escaped after the war, the most dangerous is Dolohov. He's the one that nearly killed me when I was sixteen, and he's the one to have tortured and killed my parents," she said quietly and Peter felt his eyes widen. "He disappeared, taking all of Voldemort's followers with him and they've been searching for him since. Now that he's resurfaced it means he's going to continue with Voldemort's cause unless we stop him. So, it's all hands on deck."

"Well then, we're coming with you."

Peter wasn't the only one that was surprised by Steve's words and Hermione's head snapped up.

"What?" She blurted out.

"We're coming with you, we'll suit up and then we can leave."

"You're willing to risk your lives for me despite only knowing me half a day?"

"You're one of us now," he replied and Peter looked to see that everyone seemed to be in agreement with their leader's words.

Hermione took a breath and breathed out slowly. "Thank you, I appreciate the gesture but it's too dangerous. You saw what happened in training yesterday, what I was doing was just friendly fire, nothing I used against you would've caused you any harm. These people we're up against, they use dark magic, they don't care who they kill. With a single wave of their wand, they can kill you instantly, or they can torture you to insanity, or they can control your mind and actions. You haven't had enough time to truly see what my people are like in battle and I haven't had time to teach you which spells are dangerous and which can kill you. Even with your skills and abilities you'd be sitting ducks. This is a magical battle, something you've never experienced before. Not only do I not want you getting injured, but my people also won't take kindly to you getting involved in our affairs no matter how good your intentions are. I won't be alone, I've got Harry and The Order, but if something should happen to me, it was a pleasure meeting you."

"Don't you dare die," Natasha said, looking to her with a hardened look in her eyes. "We've just got you, we don't want to lose you."

"I can't make any promises," Hermione said, smiling sadly. "They're going to target Harry and me because of our efforts and actions that brought down Voldemort, especially Dolohov. He's had it out for me since the day I survived his attack."

"Then you kill the bastard," Natasha replied. "You kill him and you get your ass back here in one piece."

Hermione didn't respond, just nodded her head. "I'll leave Camilla," she gestured to the lioness who was watching her curiously. "If she disappears before I get back, it means I'm dead. Hopefully, I'll see you all later. Wish me luck," she said before she picked up the baby rattle and strode over to the door, stepping out of the room and leaving it in silence.

Everyone looked to each other, silently asking if what had just happened had really just happened, but Peter couldn't take it. He darted up from his seat and chased after her, catching up to her he reached out, his hand catching her arm and he gave her a tug, pulling her to a stop and turning her to face him. She looked up at him with wide eyes before he tugged her forward, his arms wrapping around her and holding her to him. It took a second to realise what he'd done but she let out a breath and he felt her hands settle on his back. Barely seconds later, she stepped back from him, looking up at him.

"Come back to me...Us," he said quietly.

She gave him a sad smile before taking him by surprise when she reached up, her warm lips placing a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you for being my friend," she whispered before she turned and ran off, disappearing around the corner, taking her wide eyes, her sad smile and her scent of vanilla with her.

Turning, Peter slowly made his way back to the conference room, silently retaking his seat and seeing that while no one had moved and the large cat was still on the table although looking a little restless, they were whispering between each other.

"She's going to be alright, isn't she, Mr. Stark?" Peter asked, looking up to his mentor who sat with his chin resting on his clasped hands.

He let out a sigh. "I hope so, Kid," he replied.

"She'll be fine," Bucky said loudly and his eyes darted to him. "She's a soldier, she'll be fine."

It didn't make him feel any better but he nodded, sitting back in his chair, drumming his fingers against his thigh as the waiting game began.

~000~000~000~

Hours passed for Peter and the Avengers, hours of sitting in chairs, hours of tense, quiet conversations, hours of pacing, hours of waiting in silence and hoping that Hermione was fine and that she'd return to the compound. But as each hour passed, the harder the waiting became, the harder it was to remain positive. The only source of comfort was the large cat that was sprawled across the table letting them know she was still alive.

By Peter's count, they were almost up to the six-hour mark of her being gone. In that time they barely left the room except to use the bathroom and they came straight back, and Clint had gone to the cafeteria and brought back an armful of sandwiches and sodas for them to eat for lunch.

When lunch passed and they hadn't turned up at their scheduled training session like they'd been expected to, Director Fury made an appearance and though it was clear he wasn't happy with Hermione's absence and him not being told about it, there was nothing he could do or say because really, he didn't and couldn't control her. He remained in the room with them and after twenty minutes of furiously pacing back and forth, he'd been called away to attend to other matters.

To distract himself Tony was tinkering with his Iron Man suit, the one Hermione had fried the day before, Sam was rearranging the candies and their wrappers into God knows what, Clint looked to be napping with his feet propped up on the table and his head tilted back, Natasha was fiddling with a knife, Wanda was hunched over the table, her cheek resting on her arm with her other hand stretched out and petting the large cat, Bucky fiddled with the cap of a pen, Steve appeared to be re-reading through his information pack and Peter was climbing the walls. Literally.

"Spidey, come down before you leave footprints on the ceiling," Tony said, briefly sparing him a glance as he was sat on the ceiling, hanging upside down and staring out the large floor to ceiling windows, looking at the bright green grass, the blue sky and the calmness it radiated. Peter didn't feel calm. It was nearing early evening and there'd still been no word from Hermione.

"Leave him alone," Natasha sighed. "He's just worried."

"Well then he can be worried down here with the rest of us," Tony replied.

To prevent any further arguing, Peter jumped down to the ground, landing smoothly on his feet and instead began to pace back and forth, his fingers drumming against his thighs as he did so.

"She'll be fine," Bucky said confidently and looking completely calm.

Peter let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair before turning on his heel and pacing the other way, only he found himself stopping when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Something didn't feel right. He stopped before the windows and looked off into the distance and when he heard a scream, he looked up, his eyes squinting in the evening sun before they widened and he stumbled back.

"Hermione!" He yelled, startling them all. "She's falling!"

Everything seemed to happen at once, the rest of the Avengers all sprang up from their chairs and huddled over to the windows, their eyes locking on what he saw and it was Hermione quickly approaching the ground as she was free falling, screams of terror leaving her.

"The fall will kill her," Clint breathed out from beside him.

"No, it won't," his mentor said.

And before Peter knew it, Tony was suited up, had sent a blast to one of the glass panels, shattering it into thousands of pieces and he took flight, racing to catch Hermione before she hit the ground.

They all seemed to push past each other, wanting to be the first to get out of the conference room and out of the building so they could better see what was happening. Peter's heart was thumping so hard it was a wonder it hadn't broken free of his ribcage and bile rose in the back of his throat, making him feel sick, before he let out a huge breath and leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees when Tony caught Hermione in his arms, her screams quieting as he slowly brought them back to the ground.

Once his feet hit land, they all crowded around them, talking over each other and wanting answers, but Peter was too busy watching Hermione, horrified. She was pale, her hair messy and covered with dirt and dust, her robes were dirty and laden with rips and tears. She had a nasty looking cut on her forehead, blood streaming down the side of her face, she had a slightly smaller cut on her left cheek and a split lip. He could see a burn mark on her right shoulder, one on her left arm and one on her left thigh and when Tony lowered her to the ground but kept his arm around her waist to steady her, he noticed she seemed to be favouring her right leg. He found himself stepping closer and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"Stop," she said, pain clouding her voice and she let out a cough which was followed by a wince and she brought her hand up to her ribs, making him think she had some damage there, too. And at her command, they all fell quiet. "I don't have a lot of time," she said, her voice sounding hoarse. "They're coming, they followed me. They'll be here within minutes." Peter felt his eyes widen and the others looked to each other, sharing a glance before nodding and turning back to Hermione. "There's too many of them for me to fight on my own, maybe nine or ten. They don't know what guns are, so they won't know how to defend against them. At this point it's kill or be killed," she coughed. "Try not to get too close, avoid any neon coloured beams, especially green, red and yellow."

"You did good, Glinda," Tony praised softly, "Now let us finish this for you, you need patching up."

"No, I'm fine," she protested, weakly pulling herself from his mentor's grasp and she tried to take a step but she immediately crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain.

Peter had been the closest and was quick to catch her before she hit the floor, kneeling on the ground with her held against him and his arms wrapped around her. She opened her eyes, a tear leaking from the corner and their gazes locked. Peter couldn't look away.

"My stomach hurts," she whispered, her eyes falling shut.

"Hermione?" He questioned. He shook her gently. "Hermione!" He said louder, shaking her a little harder and her eyes fluttered open. "Stay with me," he said, keeping his eyes on her too pale face, before he allowed them to trail down her body, stopping when he saw what looked to be a wet patch on her t-shirt.

He frowned before unwinding one arm from around her and bringing his hand to rest against her stomach, pulling it back and seeing the blood that coated his skin. His eyes widened and he felt himself shaking.

"Shit!"

He looked over his shoulder and saw the others standing behind him, looking down at Hermione in various forms of disbelief, worry and anger on her behalf.

"Peter, get her to the medical bays," Steve ordered. "Stay with her, we'll take care of things on this end."

Not needing to be told twice, he readjusted his hold on her before standing with her in his arms, and he turned to run back into the building to get her to safety before all hell broke loose, but she stopped him.

"Wait," she said weakly, her eyes growing tired and he could see she was struggling to keep them open. "Keep your distance," she instructed. "Fire from a distance," she looked to Natasha and Clint. "They won't see it coming. And attack from above," she looked to Tony and Sam. "They don't have their brooms. And do not engage them; they'll kill you on sight."

"Don't worry about us," Natasha told her. "You just make sure to stay alive."

"No promises," Hermione groaned, her head lolling to the side to press against his shoulder, it not helping his worry or his frazzled state in the least. "Dolohov, watch out for him, he's a sadistic prick."

"Which one's he?"

"You'll know when you see him, but he's Russian."

"Okay, Peter, get her out of here," Natasha ordered, pulling a gun from seemingly out of nowhere and he nodded and turned, moving as quickly as he could back into the conference room and running through the compound, but before he made it, she'd already passed out.

"Parker!"

"No time, Mr. Director," he called, barely sparing him a glance as he ran past him. "Magical bad guys coming, the others are handling it, keep your agents away."

"Damn it," he heard him growl before walking away, but Peter didn't look to see where he'd gone, he was solely focused on getting to the medical bays and thankfully he actually knew where they were.

~000~000~000~

Barely thirty minutes had passed when Peter found himself sat in a chair beside the medical bed Hermione occupied, her breathing even and deep and her stomach being covered with more bandages than he'd seen in his life. She'd yet to wake but the doctor had said she was going to be fine and that she'd been lucky not to have any internal injuries. Her burns had been treated, her cuts cleaned up and she'd broken her ankle which explained why she'd been unable to walk.

He wasn't the only one present, the rest of the Avengers had arrived five minutes ago and none of them looked to be injured, in fact, there wasn't a hair out of place and their clothing was clean and rumpled free so he assumed they'd taken Hermione's warnings and kept their distance. They hadn't specified what had happened but he'd heard several explosions ringing out during his time waiting by Hermione's bedside. After telling them what the doctor had said about Hermione's condition, they all grabbed chairs and surrounded Hermione's bed, waiting for her to wake and thankfully it wasn't much longer a wait.

His hearing picked up on the change in her breathing and seeing him sitting up in his chair, the others did so too, looking to Hermione as she slowly roused, a groan of pain leaving her and her head moving on the pillow.

They all remained silent, not wanting to overwhelm her and when her eyes slowly fluttered open, she blinked a few times and then her eyes seemed to lock on his instantly and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Relax, Superhero, I'm not ready to die yet," she said weakly, her attention being drawn when the others let out little laughs of disbelief.

"You had us worried," Sam said.

She gave a weak snort. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Tweety," she replied and they chuckled at her.

Seeing her attempting to sit up, Peter reached out his hand, placing it on her shoulder and stopping her from doing so. "You're not supposed to move," he told her.

"I'm breathing, I'm talking, I'm fine," she told him. "What's the damage anyway?"

"A few cuts to your face, burns on your right shoulder, left arm and thigh, you broke your ankle, two cracked ribs, and you were bleeding out from your stomach, luckily no internal organs were damaged."

"That explains the pain," she said. "Did they give me anything?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what," he answered.

"It definitely wasn't morphine," she sighed. "There should be a bag in my robes; will you get it for me, please?"

Wanda being the closest to the pile of bloody, tattered robes that were on the floor by the bed, retrieved what she asked for and handed it to Hermione.

"What the hell?" Tony said, looking at her with wide eyes when she suddenly dug her hand inside her purse, her arm disappearing right up to her elbow.

"Expansion Charm, a handy bit of magic," she explained. "It's kind of like Doctor Who's Tardis, it's bigger on the inside."

When she pulled her hand back, she had several little vials sat in her palm before putting them off to the side and putting her hand in her purse once more, pulling out a circular container and a few more vials.

"What are they?" Tony asked curiously.

"I'm a magical doctor, did you really think I'm just going to sit here and not patch myself up?" She answered. "Pain Relief Potion, Skele-Gro Potion, this is Dittany which will seal the wounds faster, Essence of Murtlap will grow a new layer of skin, and this is a burn salve and a numbing agent," she said, pointing to each one, and they all watched quietly as she quickly drank down the potions, covered her burns with the salves and put several drops of a potion onto the cuts on her face, leaving her stomach which he thought she'd do when she didn't have an audience. Letting out a sigh, she let her head fall back against the pillow. "So what happened?"

"Everyone's fine," Natasha assured her. "We did as you said and kept our distance, Clint and I in the trees and Wanda, Tony and Sam in the air and Steve and Bucky drew their fire as a distraction. It took less than five minutes to capture them all; they weren't expecting a welcoming party."

Hermione snorted. "They're alive then," she said.

"All of them are, they've had their wands taken from them and are being held for the time being. We thought it would be easier for you to have them alive than to kill them, though they're not without injuries."

"Good, they deserve it. Harry will pop on by soon to check on me, he's too stubborn to die," she said and they snorted.

"And Dolohov, was it?" Natasha asked and Hermione nodded. "You weren't kidding about him being a prick," she said. "He and I had a little chat," she smiled at Hermione.

Clint snorted. "You did more than that, you shot him in both kneecaps _and_ put a bullet in his shoulder."

Peter blinked in surprise as did Hermione.

“He’s still alive,” Natasha shrugged.

"Why?" Hermione asked frowning.

"You're one of us, and we take care of our own," Natasha answered. "And I have a question. What's a Mudblood?"

Hermione visibly flinched and not only did he see her hand came up to her left forearm, but he'd barely stopped himself from reaching out and taking her hand in his.

"It's a derogatory name for someone of my blood, a Muggleborn. It means we're not worthy of our magic, that we're nothing but abominations that don't deserve to live."

A scary look entered Natasha's eyes. "You should've let me shoot him in the ass," she said, looking directly at her best friend.

"I won't stop you this time," Clint said with a less than pleased look on his face as he settled back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "In fact, I think I'll join you," he muttered, his eyes looking at Hermione in that fatherly way Peter had seen him use before.

Hermione shifted on the bed, trying to make herself more comfortable. "Well, I'm sorry we weren't able to train today, but I should be all healed up by tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Natasha said. "Now we've been up against a dozen of your people, I think I can figure out your weaknesses."

"Well, I won't be holding back tomorrow, now that you've fought against my people I see no point in pulling punches."

If she'd been pulling punches before, Peter wasn't sure he wanted to go up against her when she was no longer holding back.

~000~000~000~

"Wow," his Aunt May breathed out. "So she's an Avenger?"

"She's an Avenger," Peter nodded, tapping his fingers against the surface of the kitchen table as he sat for dinner.

He hadn't been home long, Happy having driven him home from the compound earlier that day after getting in a quick training session with the Avengers, and Hermione hadn't been kidding about no longer holding back, she used every trick she knew to outsmart them and it wasn't until she'd been against three of them that she was able to be beaten, but even he'd seen the improvements in the team compared to the last time they'd gone up against her.

"But you can't tell me why?"

"Nope, I'm not allowed to. You're not even supposed to know she exists let alone about her being an Avenger, and I do want to tell you because what's she's capable of is amazing, I've never seen anything like it, but Director Fury had us all sign a non-disclosure agreement."

"If it's that serious she must be incredible," she mused.

"She really is," he nodded in agreement, absentmindedly playing with his food rather than eating it.

"So, did you ask her to dinner?"

He lifted his head. "No, it er... It wasn't the best time; this weekend's been very _eventful_."

"The next time you see her remember to ask her."

"May, why are so adamant about having her for dinner?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked and he frowned in confusion. "Well, you like her, don't you?"

"What?" He blurted out in surprise.

She smiled at him knowingly. "You like her," she stated.

"She's my friend, of course, I like her."

She laughed at him and shook her head, "Oh, Peter," she sighed. "I think you like her a little more than a friend," she said and he felt his face heat up. "You talk about her a lot, especially these last few weeks when you didn't see her, and you never have a bad word to say against her, you're always complimenting her."

Peter cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Thanks for dinner, May, but I better go do my homework," he lied, standing from the table, putting the leftovers in the trash and the dishes in the sink.

"You don't have any homework," she replied.

"I do for next week, better get it finished so I don't fall behind," he said, quickly making his way to his room, closing his door behind him and flinging himself face down on his bed, letting out a sigh. "That was awkward," he muttered to himself, before he toed off his shoes, rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.

As he stared his mind wandered to Hermione and he couldn't stop it from happening. He couldn't stop his mind from playing every interaction they'd shared on repeat, but it allowed him chance to analyse how he'd felt during those interactions.

When they'd first met he'd been surprised but thankful. When they met after that, he'd been surprised and curious. When he'd saved her from the clutches of drunken men, he'd been relieved. When he saw her at the food truck he'd been surprisingly happy. When they met in the park, he'd been glad to see her. When they hadn't seen each other for weeks, he'd been worried he'd never see her again. When they'd met at the Avengers’ compound he'd been beyond surprised with the revelations that followed, but he'd also been happy.

Now that he thought about it, he realised that with each meeting they shared, the more he looked forward to the next one. He'd impatiently count down the days that passed until he next had the chance to see and speak with her.

Their conversations may not have been of anything important, well, in the beginning at least, but he still found himself enjoying her company, enjoying their conversations and even just the time they sat or walked in silence. He felt comfortable around her; he felt he was able to say anything he wished to without fear of being judged, he knew she'd listen and wouldn't interrupt.

Her scent of vanilla was familiar to him now and he found it brought him comfort, it seemed to set him at ease, to help him relax and focus and it wasn't harsh on his nose like the perfumes the girls in his school wore. Her voice was soft and calming, it not being too loud or harsh on his hearing. The feeling he got from her, the feeling of her being different, he now understood that it was her magic surrounding him and setting his spidey senses on edge, but it was strange because it didn't feel bad or wrong, it actually felt quite nice. And he had to admit, he _did_ like it when she hugged him.

Now that he knew of her past and he knew her to be an Avenger who had incredible abilities, now that he knew her secrets, he felt closer to her. He felt he understood her better than he had before and now knowing what he did, not only did he realise they were more alike then he'd previously thought, he understood why she always made it a point to praise him for what he did, it was because she'd done the same for her people. He felt she was more of a hero than he was. He stopped robberies and helped old ladies cross the street, she helped end a two decades long war and she was now a doctor _and_ an Avenger.

Reading about the war she'd been forced to fight in as a _child_ , hearing of her past and what had happened to her parents, he'd just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her to him. He wanted to protect her from all the bad memories and feelings, he didn't want her to have to suffer but he knew there was nothing he could really do about it, and he hated it.

He'd been worried when she'd gone off to battle, he hadn't been able to sit still, he'd barely eaten his sandwich or touched his soda and the only thing that had given him a little bit of comfort was seeing the large misty cat that had been sprawled out on the table, and though that meant she was alive, it didn't tell him much else.

He'd been horrified, _terrified,_ when he'd seen her falling from the sky –something to do with her losing her grip on a port key, she'd explained- and though his first instincts had been to get outside and help her, there hadn't been any trees or buildings tall enough that would allow for web-slinging and swinging and at the speed she was falling, if he'd caught her on the ground then her injuries would've been worse, she _had_ to be caught mid-fall to minimise damage. He was just glad his mentor always seemed to have a suit with him.

When he'd seen her injured, blood running down her face, her body littered with burns and her stomach pooling blood, he'd honestly never felt so afraid in his life. The doctor had tried to get him to leave once he'd arrived at the medical bays, but he refused to do so and instead took a seat nearby where he could keep his eyes on Hermione, but not be in the way and hinder her care. And he'd never felt more relieved than when she woke up and her first instinct hadn't been to search the room like anyone else would, no, she'd looked straight at _him_.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face before tucking it beneath his head, the other resting on his stomach and his fingers tapping out a beat.

He liked the way it felt when she hugged him, her smaller frame pressed against his larger one. He liked the way it felt when they held hands, her smaller one fitting almost perfectly into his. He liked the way she smelled of vanilla, he liked the way she could make him laugh, he liked the way she could still have faith in people, that she was still kind and compassionate after everything she'd been through and everything she'd witnessed. And as he analysed this, it all led to one thought, to one realisation.

"Oh, God!" He breathed out, his eyes widening and his stomach doing a strange flip-flop. "I _like_ her."


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count:23

It was a Wednesday, two weeks after he'd visited the Avengers' compound and his world turned upside down, two weeks since he'd last seen Hermione, two weeks since he'd come to the conclusion he'd developed a bit of a crush on her, but that was putting it mildly because he knew it was more than that.

And for him, it seemed to be all the more embarrassing because everyone had realised it before he had, his Aunt May, the Avengers, even Happy had commented on it during the drive home and he hadn't even seen him interact with Hermione!

He was walking down the street, his hands in his pockets, his earbuds in and his thoughts straying to the newest Avenger. The weather wasn't particularly pleasant that day, it'd been raining all morning but now it had slowed to a drizzle and he pulled his hood up a little more before sticking his hands back into his pockets.

He'd just finished school and was making his way home but he planned on stopping for an after-school snack beforehand. As he approached his favourite corn dog stand, the drizzle grew heavier and a gust of wind blew his hood down and as he reached to right it, the sudden smell of vanilla hit him. He found himself stopping dead in the street, not being bothered by the look he received from the man that had been walking behind him.

His eyes searched but he couldn't see her, not yet, but he _knew_ she was nearby. He felt himself growing nervous but at the same time, he felt relaxed, comfortable in a way he hadn't felt since the Avengers' compound trip.

Steeling his nerves, readjusting his backpack on his shoulder and stuffing his hands in his pockets once more, he continued down the street, his eyes searching for her. Even in the busy foot traffic, it wasn't hard to spot her. She was on the other side of the street sitting on a bench with one hand tucked into her coat pocket and the other holding an umbrella over her head, protecting her from the rain. She was staring down at the wet ground, her mouth pulled into a little pout; she looked thoughtful, sad.

Frowning, he removed the earbuds from his ears and crossed the street, briefly noting that where she sat wasn't that far away from the corn dog stand that was a little further up the street. She didn't look up or speak when he sat beside her but she did shuffle a little closer to him, moving the umbrella so it protected them both from the rain.

"I was getting worried," he spoke, letting out a little wince. Why did he say that!

"Sorry, Superhero," she replied softly, sounding distracted. "I've been trying to cut back my hours at the hospital but there's been a few explosions at some potion labs, something to do with dodgy ingredients being sold unknowingly and they've reacted badly with the other components. It's been all hands on deck."

"Like chemistry," he said.

"Yep, potions is very similar to chemistry, only we don't use chemicals. Anyway, I've been splitting my time between the hospital and the compound; I've practically slept there every night this last week, gone to work, returned to do training and then repeated the process. But I can't complain, the fact they've accepted me and taken the news so well is a miracle in itself," she said. "You should see them in training now, Tweety even managed to knock me out, of course, I repaid the favour once I came around."

He snorted at her, shaking his head. "So, what are you doing sitting out here in the rain?"

"Fancied a corn dog," she shrugged.

"And the sulking?"

"I'm not sulking," she denied, finally looking up from the ground and to him. He raised an eyebrow and she sighed, "Fine, I'm sulking."

"You wanna tell me why?"

"Today I found out my ex-boyfriend got engaged to the girl he cheated on me with."

His eyes widened. "He cheated on you?" He asked in surprise, unable to stop his eyes from tracing her pretty features. "Why?"

"He's an arsehole, always has been," she shrugged. "I spent a lot of time at the hospital. One of the reasons I was so determined to finish my training as quickly as possible was for him. He always complained that I didn't give him enough attention, that I was always working, so I worked hard and long hours so I could finish my training sooner and once I was done, I could finally give him what he wanted. Unfortunately, he couldn't wait and he cheated on me, and now he's engaged. But I'm not mad at him, not really, it's all in the past now and I want him to be happy. He wasn't with me and he found that happiness with someone else, so I can't be mad at him."

"Then what's bothering you?" He asked.

"It's stupid,"

"I'm sure it's not," he said. She let out a sigh and shifted on the bench, her shoulder brushing his.

"I guess I miss it."

"Miss?"

"Being in a relationship," she clarified and he felt his stomach twist, his head cloud over and his heart seemed to skip a beat. "I'm not a needy person, never have been, but I do miss having someone to talk to when I get home. I miss the comfort it brings knowing you have someone you can rely on. And if I'm being honest, I miss the cuddles, too."

He gulped. "So why not date? Put yourself out there? Not every New Yorker is a rude asshole."

She chuckled at him. "I know, just the majority."

"Just the majority," he nodded in agreement.

"It's not worth it," she answered. "It'll be too hard for me, dating, I mean. If I date a muggle, I have to keep my magic a secret, I'll have to lie to him about I do for a living as well as my new job as an Avenger. I'll work long, unpredictable hours and I'm always on call even on my days off. If I'm not at the hospital, I'm at the compound. I won't be able to give him my time and energy. Also, if I date a wizard, while I don't have to keep magic a secret or lie about my job at the hospital, I can't tell him about my job with the Avengers, and still, I work long hours. I can't imagine there's many people out there that will be willing to and are able to deal with my work schedule, as well as being in the know about my magic and my being an Avenger. You know anyone like that?"

Peter wiped his hands on his jeans nervously and swallowed, his heart feeling as though it was going to jump right out of his chest.

"I...Er...Well... Maybe," he stuttered, his face heating up.

She gave him an amused smile. "Tony's taken, Clint's married with kids, Steve's old enough to be my Grandfather, so is Bucky for that matter, and Sam, I think we'd end up killing each other."

"Er, yeah, probably," he agreed nervously.

"I haven't met Bruce yet, but from what I've heard he's got a bit of a thing with Natasha, Thor, Merlin knows where he is but I think that's a bit of a stretch and then there's Vision, who I haven't yet met either but apparently there's a thing between him and Wanda, too."

"Hmm," he hummed.

"I guess I'm going to have to get used to the idea of being a lonely spinster, at least until I retire and I'm too old to be an Avenger, but given my genetics, that's going to be a while."

"What do you mean?" He asked with a slight frown.

"We live longer than non-magicals," she answered and he blinked in surprise. "The average age is one hundred and fifty, but there have been known cases of magical folk living up to two hundred in age. And because we live longer, we age at a slower rate, too."

"That should surprise me but after everything I've learned recently, it doesn't."

She snorted at him. "Welcome to my world," she said, her head tilting to rest against his shoulder. He looked down at her, seeing her eyes closed and a peaceful look settled over her face.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Superhero?"

He took a breath to calm himself and wiped his hands on his jeans once more. "My Aunt knows about you... Well, not _about_ you, of course, but she knows we're friends and that you're now an Avenger, she er...Well, she wants to meet you, she's asked me to invite you over for dinner," he said nervously.

"It's been a while since I've had dinner at a friend's house," she replied softly, sounding tired.

"So...that's a yes?"

"Sure,"

He released a slow breath and sagged back into the bench, relief flooding him. "How about on Friday, is that too soon?"

"No, Friday's fine. I promised Tony we'd spend some time together in his lab but I'll just put him off until Sunday, he needs to be kept on his toes anyway. I've a late night shift at the hospital but as long as I leave before eight, I can make it."

"Great, what's your favourite food? May wants to know so she could make it for you."

He saw her mouth twitch into a smile. "Well, aside from the British classics, of course, it has to be mac and cheese."

~000~000~000~

"Hey, Hermione," Peter greeted, on a Tuesday evening two weeks after she'd had dinner with him and his Aunt.

They'd met up at Delmar's and they'd walked to his apartment from there but despite him being a nervous wreck, he'd still felt comfortable with her. Dinner itself had been fine, it was his Aunt May who'd found enjoyment out of embarrassing him and making sly comments about 'how good they looked together' and 'how well they complemented each other' and Peter had never felt more embarrassed in his life.

As expected his Aunt had questions for Hermione though most of them she'd been unable to answer, which his Aunt understood and it didn't stop her from questioning Hermione about other aspects of her life. Hermione did confess that she was a doctor and despite his Aunt being surprised with the news, especially given her age, she'd been impressed and curious but didn't question her further. They'd gotten through dinner fairly quickly and when they gathered in the living room, sitting on the couch, they hadn't been there long when Hermione's pager went off, summoning her to the hospital.

She's apologised profusely for having to leave so early, but his Aunt had taken no issue with it and in a move that surprised them both, she'd hugged Hermione. When Peter had walked her out of the building, she'd explained there'd been another explosion at a lab and after seeing her off, he'd returned to his Aunt who gushed over Hermione and gave her the seal of approval. Peter, being embarrassed, had disappeared to his room after that.

He and Hermione had seen each other a couple of times since, once when he'd been grabbing some groceries for his Aunt, and once when he'd stopped by Delmar's to grab a sandwich. And now he'd been doing patrols and after helping a lost child find their mother, he'd sat himself on the rooftop of a building when he'd spotted Hermione walking into a book store.

It'd hadn't taken him long to change out of his suit, make his way back to the ground and follow her into the same store. He'd found her easily enough, her scent of vanilla leading him straight to her.

She didn't startle when he spoke, but she did turn around, a smile on her face and her eyes bright.

"Well hello, Superhero, what brings you here?" She asked, holding the books in her arms to her chest.

"Doing patrols and I saw you come in here," he replied, looking at the books curiously.

"Medical texts," she explained. "I'm doing a bit more research into non-magical methods of medicine."

"Makes sense," he nodded, following after her when she headed to the counter, paying for her purchases and taking the bag from the woman behind the counter before he followed her out onto the street. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"No, I only got off work half an hour ago and came straight here," she answered, blowing a curl out of her face and his mouth twitched in amusement when it fell back into place, she let out of a huff of annoyance and then pushed it over her shoulder.

"You ever had a burrito?"

"What the hell's a burrito?" She asked with a confused frown.

"Guess not," he said amused. "Come on then, there's a food truck two blocks down."

The walk was a short one and their topics of conversation were generic but comfortable and by the time they reached the food truck, the couple before them left.

"It's just a wrap," Hermione said.

"A wrap?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"A tortilla wrap with filling," she said. "My mum used to make these for my packed lunches in primary school, only the fillings were different. Usually ham, cheese and salad, or chicken mayo, even tuna."

"Oh, then I guess you do know what a burrito is," he said.

"The only difference I can see is the fillings, and this is hot."

As they ate their food, they wandered the streets with no specific destination in mind and chatting comfortably, until they both heard a beeping sound and Hermione stopped in her steps in the middle of the street, her head tilting back and a groan leaving her, before she dug into her purse and pulled out a pager.

"The hospital?" He asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Fury, he wants to see me. Well, I better get over to the compound before he has a fit and his other eye pops out of his head." He chuckled at her, shaking his head. "I'll see you later, Superhero," she smiled, slipping her pager into her purse and then turning to walk off.

"Hermione!" He called after her and she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

God, he was so nervous! Was he really about to do what he'd wanted to for weeks? God, he was and he was freaking out! Taking a breath and wiping his hands on his jeans, he closed the distance between them with only a few steps, stopping before her and looking down at her.

"Yes?" She asked him, turning to face him rather than just looking at him over her shoulder.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "Do you...Maybe want to go out..." She gave him an encouraging look and it gave him a confidence boost. "Do you want to go out sometime?"

Her big brown eyes locked on his and her mouth tugged into a smile. "I'd like that, Peter," she nodded.

He blinked in surprise. "With me?"

"I know," she smiled.

"On a date?" He clarified, thinking that maybe she thought he was just asking as a friend.

"I know," she laughed lightly.

He blinked slowly and shuffled on his feet, feeling his face heating up. "Really?"

"Peter, I'd love to go on a date with you," she said softly, smiling at him with her dimples making an appearance and her eyes bright.

He couldn't stop his own smile in response, it was a natural reaction.

"Good, great, awesome," he grinned and she laughed at him. "Saturday? Ten o'clock?"

"I can do that," she nodded.

"Great, I'll meet you at Delmar's and we can go from there."

"Sounds like a plan," she smiled. A beeping sound came from her purse and she let out a noise of annoyance. "I better go before Fury gets his patch in a knot, I'll see you Saturday, until then and as usual, be careful, Superhero," she said before she turned and walked away.

Peter watched her leave. He did it. He couldn't believe he'd actually done it. He had a date with Hermione.

~000~000~000~

It was Friday night, the night before his first date with Hermione, and he still couldn't believe he'd asked her or that she'd agreed to it, even after having a few days to process it.

He'd been wracking his brain for days trying to think of the perfect idea for their first date. He wanted it to be casual and fun, something that they'd both be comfortable with doing, and after several days he'd finally made a decision.

He'd made sure to finish his patrols of the neighbourhood earlier than usual so he could get home and be well rested for his date. He'd said goodnight to his Aunt May, readied for bed and climbed into bed, laying with his arms behind his head, the blankets covering his lower body and he stared up at the ceiling, willing himself to sleep but it wouldn't happen. He was nervous, but it was a good kind of nervous, and he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione, about the fact he'd be seeing her in a matter of hours.

It was windy that night and he'd made sure to close his window and that's why he was surprised when a blue-silver misty lioness passed straight through the glass and landed on the ground beside his bed. He rose onto his elbows and stared in surprise, obviously recognising it as Hermione's lioness, Camilla, and the large cat sat on the ground and looked directly at him, its mouth opening and Hermione's voice filling his room.

"Hey, Superhero, I know it's late and I'm sorry if this wakes you because Merlin knows you superheroes need your sleep... I hate to have to do this..."

Peter had a feeling he knew what her next words would be.

"After we made plans together and at such short notice, too, but I'm going to have to cancel on our date tomorrow. I've been called in by Fury, I can't tell you what I'm doing or where I'm going, but I'm being sent out on my first official mission with Nat and Clint. I did try to get out of it but Fury wasn't having any of it, believe me, I almost hexed him," she said, and despite his disappointment, he felt his mouth twitch in amusement. "I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I promise, when I get back I'll make it up to you. Until then, look after yourself and I hope you have a good weekend. Camilla will stay with you for a bit but I warn you, she snores."

Peter snorted and watched the large cat as she lifted a paw and licked at it lazily.

He wasn't going to lie, he did feel disappointed at Hermione cancelling their date but he knew he couldn't blame her for it. He'd known she was on call, just as he was. If there was an emergency or he was needed, he had to be ready to go at a moment's notice, but for Hermione, she had both her job _and_ the Avengers that needed her, so he wasn't all that surprised that their date had been interrupted. It was part of being a superhero and he understood that. He was just glad she'd let him know so he wouldn't worry about her having not shown up, and he had every intention of rescheduling their date after she got back, he just hoped she was careful on her mission.

Lying back down, he got himself comfortable and he raised an eyebrow when he saw the large cat move closer to his bed and she hopped up at the foot of his bed. The large cat was far too big but that didn't seem to bother her as she settled herself down, partially sprawling across his feet and with her head resting on his legs.

It was a strange feeling. It didn't hurt, it couldn't because technically the big cat weighed nothing with it being made of misty-smoke, so while he couldn't feel the weight, he could feel the slight charge in the air. He could feel the crackle of Hermione's magic brushing against him, sending a shiver down his spine. It was almost as if she were in the room with him.

Peter let out a snort before getting himself more comfortable and as he drifted off to sleep with the lioness sprawled across his bed and legs, he hoped his Aunt didn't come to check on him because that would be a long and awkward conversation.

~000~000~000~

He was worried.

It was now the Saturday after he was supposed to go on his date with Hermione, a week had passed and he'd heard nothing from her and when he'd woken the next morning the large cat had been gone, but he'd expected that.

He'd managed a few days before the waiting and the worry got to him, and then he couldn't take the not knowing any longer and he'd broken down and called Mr. Stark. He hadn't been any help, claiming to be just as in the dark as he was but Peter wasn't sure if he'd been telling him the truth or not, not that it mattered.

It was easy to tell he'd been distracted, well, more than usual since meeting Hermione, and both his Aunt and Ned questioned him about it, his Aunt he'd been able to tell the truth, Ned, he wasn't yet ready to reveal the existence of his newest friend and potential love interest, so he'd lied whilst also telling the truth, saying it was Avengers stuff. To distract himself he'd thrown his focus into his homework and patrolling a little more than usual, and when that didn't work he'd just stare at his bedroom ceiling.

That morning he'd spent some time with Ned, knowing he hadn't actually seen him as much as he usually did, but after they'd had lunch together Peter had returned home to do some homework.

That was why, after a week of hearing nothing regarding Hermione's health or whereabouts, he was surprised to open his door and see Hermione stood on the other side.

She'd been looking down at the ground and fiddling with her fingers and when he'd opened the door she'd looked up, a smile pulling at her face. His eyes had traced her figure, seeing no apparent injuries and he let out a breath of relief. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She let out a noise of surprise but still wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his shoulder.

"Well, that's a greeting I could get used to," she said softly.

He wasn't quite sure how long he held her to him but decided it was probably best to release her, so he stepped back from her. Her arms fell down her sides and she smiled up at him.

"Were you worried about me?" She asked him, but she didn't sound like she was teasing him.

"No," he denied.

"Alright," she said, not looking convinced but she dropped the subject. "I'm sorry I had to cancel."

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault, if you're needed then there's nothing you can do about it, that's part of the job."

She smiled at him and opened her mouth to respond, but his Aunt May appeared behind him, and when she saw Hermione, a smile pulled at her face and her eyes lit up.

"Hermione, it's lovely to see you again," his Aunt said and Hermione smiled at her.

"Good afternoon, Ms Parker," she replied politely.

"Hermione, we've been over this, please call me May," she said, coming to a stop beside him at the door.

"I'm sorry to bother you..."

"Dear, you're no bother at all," she said, giving him a nudge with her shoulder. "Is she Peter?"

"I was wondering if you'd mind if I stole Peter for a few hours," Hermione said and Peter suddenly felt nervous.

"Only if you promise _not_ to bring him back," his Aunt said, and Peter rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, May," he snorted. "I'll just grab a coat," he told Hermione, leaving them alone briefly to grab his hoody and his backpack, and then returning to them. "Right, let's go," he said, stepping out of the door, hearing his Aunt calling a 'have fun and be careful,' after them.

"So, any details?" He asked, slipping his hands into his pockets as they descended the stairs and stepped out onto the street, Peter following Hermione as she seemed to have a specific destination in mind.

"Terrorist cells, three of them," she answered. "One in Germany, one in Paris and the other in Oslo. It's why I've been gone so long."

Peter let out a whistle. "A terrorist cell for a first mission? Talk about throwing you in the deep end," he commented.

"Nat and Clint did all the work, I was just there for backup," she told him. He was sure she was downplaying her role in the mission but decided to drop the subject.

"So, where exactly are we going?" He asked.

"Do you trust me?"

He was surprised by the question but found himself nodding. "Yes, I trust you," he answered, receiving a beaming smile from her.

"Great, just remember that," she said.

He looked around in confusion when she suddenly led them down an empty alleyway and then came to a stop behind a skip, him noting that no one would be able to see them as they walked past. She held her hand out to him and he looked down at it and then up to her face, getting caught in her gaze as he placed his hand in hers, her fingers twining with his and she gave him a squeeze.

"There's something I want to show you."

"What?"

"I promised I'd make it up to you for cancelling, whether I could help it or not, and I intend to keep that promise. So I'm going to teleport us somewhere. It does feel strange the first few times you do it but then you get used to it. Close your eyes and keep them closed, bend your knees ready for the landing and don't let go of my hand. It's perfectly normal if you feel dizzy or sick when we land. I passed out my first time."

"That's comforting," he replied and she laughed at him, shaking her head and her wild curls hit her in the face. "Right, I'm ready,"

"You sure?"

"Well, now I'm not," he said and she snorted.

Before he knew it, Hermione tightened her grip on his hand and he felt a strange tugging in his stomach, his body feeling as though he were being squeezed through a tube that was too small, and then his feet hit solid ground and his head was spinning.

He automatically bent over, his hand still gripping Hermione's and he felt her hand come up to rub comforting circles on his back, but she didn't speak which he was grateful for. After a few minutes, he felt his head clear and he took a breath, standing up.

The first thing he noticed was their surroundings. There were no buildings or people in sight for miles. All he could see were large trees, green fields and the rocky silhouette of mountains in the distance. There were no sounds except for the wind and the few calls of birds, and the only smells that surrounded him were vanilla and fresh clean air. He wasn't sure where they were but they certainly weren't in the city. It was quiet and peaceful, the sky was bluer than he remembered seeing and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and he noticed that it was a little warmer than it had been in the city.

"Where are we?" He asked Hermione.

"We're still in New York," she answered and his head whipped around to stare at her in surprise. No way were they still in New York! Seeing his reaction she chuckled. "We're still in New York, just not _your_ New York."

"You mean..." He trailed off, his eyes widening at the implication of her words.

She nodded. "We're in Wizarding New York," she smiled at him. "And don't worry, there's no one else here, not yet at least."

"What are we doing here?"

"The last time I spoke to one of my friends he let slip that the New York Reserve were doing a release today."

"Release? Release of what?" He asked curiously.

"You'll see, but we need to take cover in those trees," she pointed to the small wooded area, before tugging on his hand to get him to follow after her.

She led them to the entrance and made to sit on the ground but he had a better idea. Using his webbing, he quickly made a hammock supported by two trees and when he saw her impressed expression he felt proud of himself. He helped her up into the hammock, dropped his backpack to the ground and easily climbed in beside her.

"So, what are we waiting for?" He asked.

"They'll be here any minute now, and try to be as quiet as possible, but as a precaution, I'll put a sound-proofing bubble around us. We shouldn't be here so we need to stay out of view."

"Hence the trees, got it," he nodded.

"We're here for our safety." He raised an eyebrow. "What's a date without a little danger?"

He felt nervous again. "This is our first date?"

"Well, you tell me after," she said before she turned to look straight ahead.

He felt her nudge his shoulder and he turned to look forward, too, and that's when he saw six burly looking men, covered in tattoos and scars, wearing dark clothing and holding wooden sticks in their hands. They were surrounding what looked to be a storage container and between the six off them, they were slowly lowering it to the ground.

He felt himself startle when there was a muffled sound from inside and he saw the entire container shake and rattle before smoke seemed to pour from it. Hermione's hand covered his and although he wanted to look at her, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the wizards or the container. One of them was calling out instructions to the others, and after another muffled sound and seeing the container almost tip on its side, he got a feeling he knew exactly what was inside.

His spidey senses tingled, a shiver ran down his spine, he felt his heart pounding in his chest and his hand automatically gripped Hermione's tighter.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe what he was about to witness.

His eyes widened and he felt himself leaning forward, the hammock swinging with his movement, as two of the wizards positioned themselves in front of the container, their wands poised and ready. Ten seconds passed before they were given the order and then beams of light were flying at the doors of the container, a bang sounded and then the six wizards were gone with sharp 'cracks.'

"They're still here," Hermione said, "They have to make sure the release goes to plan and they won't leave until they've got documented evidence."

Peter wanted to comment but his brain couldn't seem to find the words, it couldn't seem to process what he was about to see. It was quiet. Too quiet. And then the doors of the container were blasted off, a wave of fire thrown from inside the container, dark smoke being left in its wake, and a truly terrifying roar sounded. Peter felt himself freezing and his breathing sped up, his eyes widening further and he leaned forward once more, almost falling off the hammock but Hermione gripped the back of his hoody and tugged him backwards. He didn't acknowledge her, he couldn't.

He heard the metal of the container groaning in protest of a heavyweight and then a large nose poked out, sniffing at the ground, a puff of smoke flaring from the nostrils. Peter's hand tightened on Hermione's until he was sure he was hurting her, but she didn't complain and he wasn't even sure he had the mental capacity to actually loosen his grip.

That large nose was soon followed by an even larger head, and Peter saw the eyes. They weren't what he'd been expecting -not that he knew what to expect- and he was surprised to see that they were not only multicoloured, but they glittered and sparkled, too. It was oddly beautiful.

Peter thought the head was big and he wasn't prepared for the massive clawed foot that stepped out of the container and onto the grass, followed by another, until the body appeared. He let out a noise that he wasn't even sure could be named, when the creature emerged entirely from the container, it's incredibly long tail swishing back and forth almost like an excited puppy, and it unfolded its massive wings and flapped them once, twice, it creating an insane gust of wind that brushed against his skin and tousled his hair despite the distance between them. And now that it was out in the open, he was surprised to see the scales that lined the body, shining like a polished pearl even without the sun beaming down on it. The large head tipped back and the mouth opened, vivid red flames being released into the air.

He couldn't believe it. He was watching a real, live dragon!

"Oh My God!" He breathed out, finally finding his voice.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" He heard Hermione whisper, and that's when he remembered her words about being as quiet as possible, and now he understood why.

"Stunning," he said quietly in agreement, and he felt Hermione's head press against his shoulder.

"She's an Antipodean Opaleye dragon," she told him.

Although he was listening to her, he couldn't take his eyes off the dragon in front of him, seeing the way it dropped to the ground and rolled on its back, shuffling against the grass as if it was trying to scratch an itch. It was behaving nothing like he thought a dragon would.

"The average size for an adult is about forty feet, and I'd say she's about that," she spoke softly. "Opaleyes are the least aggressive breed of dragons, they only tend to kill when they're hungry and their preferred diet is sheep but they have been known to eat buffalos and cows, I suppose it depends on how hungry they are and what they have available to them. From what I've learned, she was captured and brought to the reserve to be rehabilitated for a broken wing. She had injuries that were consistent with fighting so they suspected she'd been kicked out of her territory by a male. But when they found her, she wasn't alone."

"What do you mean?" He asked quietly, his eyes watching the way the large dragon sniffed at a section of daisies before shaking her head and letting out a strange rumbling sound that almost sounded like a sneeze. Hermione let out a giggle from beside him and he almost tore his eyes away from the dragon, having never heard her make that sound before.

"That's what I mean," she gestured to the container and he let out another strange noise when he saw a puff of black smoke come from inside the container.

The large dragon let out a roar and almost a minute passed when a second dragon, tiny compared to the other one, stepped out of the container and seemed to stumble to the ground. Hermione let out a chuckle and the larger dragon gently nudged the smaller one with its nose, encouraging it to get back on its feet. This dragon had beautiful glittering eyes to match the first, and although the scales looked more on the grey side compared to the other one, it was by no means less beautiful.

"That's her baby," Hermione said softly. "When they found them, the egg was almost ready to hatch, so he's almost a year old."

"How'd you know it's a boy?"

"The tail, males tend to have two spikes while females only have one," she answered. "The tamers had to be careful when he hatched from his egg. The plan was to always release the mother back into the world, so they had to make sure to keep their distance from him whilst he was growing, they didn't want him relying on them to feed him because then he'd never be able to survive on his own in the wild. He's about fifteen feet size wise, but dragons grow slowly their first year and then they suddenly have a growth spurt. In a year he'll almost be fully grown. Opaleyes are actually native to New Zealand which is why it was troubling when they found her over here. Most dragon breeds reside in mountain terrains but Opaleyes actually prefer valleys. They're releasing them here because there's food nearby and a valley past the mountains. Despite them now being free the tamers will make sure to monitor their whereabouts in case they need to bring them back in for treatment."

The large dragon threw its head back and let out vivid red flames before looking down to the smaller dragon, who did the same, only instead of flames, black smoke poured from its mouth and Hermione let out a chuckle.

"He's got a lot to learn, but his mother will make sure to teach him everything he needs to know to survive and once he reaches full maturity, he'll leave her in search of a mate and his own territory."

He watched for what felt like hours but was sure was only half an hour of the two dragons exploring their surroundings, and when the larger dragon unfolded her wings and flapped them, he knew what was coming.

She let out a loud roar before pushing off the ground and taking to the sky, rising high as she glided through the air effortlessly. It was mesmerising. The smaller dragon let out a weaker roar and it was clear it took him a little more effort to push himself off the ground, but he managed to do so and soon was chasing after his mother, them both gliding and circling above before they headed for the mountains. Peter kept watching until their large forms were just dots in the distance.

Still feeling Hermione's hand in his own and her head against his shoulder, he took a breath to centre himself and then he leaned back into the hammock, giving her hand in a squeeze.

"So, did I make it up to you?" She asked, and he heard the smile in her voice.

"I honestly don't have the words to even describe how amazing that was," he replied, turning to look down at her and she tilted her head, her chin resting on his shoulder as she looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, I mean, given everything you've learned about my world and the bad things that have happened lately, I wanted to show you something good. I wanted to show you why I love my world so much."

"I get it," he nodded, his eyes briefly looking to the container when the six wizards made a reappearance, looking to be cleaning up the mess left behind. "I've never seen anything like that in my life, I never thought I ever would and I know nothing will beat this experience."

Her mouth twitched. "That's a challenge I'll happily accept. There's many things that make my world so beautiful and great, dragons are just one of them. Though I'll have to be careful with what I expose you to, I don't want to overwhelm your brain and have you falling into a state of shock or for you to have a meltdown, the world needs Spider-man."

"Well, my mind's still functioning as it should be, for the moment at least, maybe later I'll have a meltdown when I finish processing what I've just seen." She chuckled at him. "And God, this has to be the best first date in existence."

"So this _is_ our first date?"

"I think so; it definitely trumps what I had planned."

"Well, there's still plenty of time left in the day. If this was our first date, why not go ahead with your original plans now, it can be our second date. Two dates rolled into one day."

"Efficient," he said, his mouth pulling into a smile.

"Exactly, so, you want to do it?"

"Sure, but give me five minutes to wrap my head around this," he said, motioning to nothing in particular and she laughed at him.

"Take all the time you need, Superhero. But just think how jealous the others will be when they eventually find out you've seen a dragon, Tony might actually cry."

~000~000~000~

"You're taking me ice skating?" Hermione questioned in a whisper, her eyes soft and her mouth slightly parted as she stared at the ice rink in front of them.

"Yeah," he answered, suddenly feeling nervous. Maybe this was a bad idea. "I remember you mentioned you loved going with your parents when you were a kid." She tore her eyes away from the ice rink and to him, looking surprised. "I listen," he shrugged, doing his best not to shuffle on his feet. "Should I not have brought you here?"

"No," she shook her head. "It's really thoughtful of you to bring me here," she said and he felt his body relax, the tension and nervousness leaving him. "I haven't been ice skating in almost a decade, and you bringing me here is helping me to remember all the good memories I have associated with it and my parents, so thank you."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied.

Well, his instincts hadn't let him down after all. He'd thought about taking her to the movies or doing a picnic in the park, but then he'd remembered a conversation they'd had a few weeks ago where they'd gotten onto the subject of hobbies and that's when she'd told him about how she used to ice skate with her parents.

Getting to the ice skating rink had taken a little longer than he would've liked. He wanted to just slip on his suit and swing his way there. Hermione had been against it, not only because she hated the idea of swinging through the city, but because the chances of them not being seen were very low. Conceding her point they'd just gotten a cab instead, and with the commute time as well as traffic, it had given them time to talk a little more during their journey.

"Let's get our skates and get on the ice," he said.

When they got on the ice it became clear to him she was going to struggle, it obviously having been a while since she'd last had on a pair of skates. For him it wasn't an issue, if he could balance on a single strand of web, using it like a tight rope when he was bored, he could easily handle a pair of skates, and it was a good job his balance was so good because Hermione had nearly hit the ice several times and the only thing that stopped her was him catching her, but she never complained or got annoyed, she just laughed it off.

"You're terrible at this," he chuckled, holding both of her hands in his and skating backwards as she was in front of him and he pulled her along. After nearly fifteen minutes he'd soon discovered Hermione wasn't bad because she was out of practice, she was just bad in general.

"I never said I was good at this," she defended, "You just assumed. In reality, my feet barely touched the ice, my dad just used to piggyback me around or I'd use one of those penguins kids use."

"Maybe we should wrestle one from one of those kids," he said, gesturing to a group of kids who looked to be on a family outing.

She snorted at him. "You first, kids fight dirty and I don't have the balance to get away from them," she replied. He laughed and shook his head. "Besides, I don't need them when I've got you keeping me close and catching me when I fall, you're like my knight in shining armour," she grinned.

"Well, I _do_ have a super suit for armour and I _did_ see a dragon today,"

She laughed at him, her head falling back, her curls cascading down her back and she slipped on the ice. He reached out, catching her before she hit the ground and he pulled her against his chest, her laughter being louder at her falling and it was slightly muffled. Her laughter just set him off, and it was one of those laughs were just couldn't stop no matter how hard you tried, and he lost balance, too.

He slipped on the ice, falling backwards and landing on his back, Hermione landing on top of him as he'd pulled her down with him, and even then, he couldn't stop, not even when Hermione's elbows dug into his stomach and his back hurt from the fall, but then, he'd been slammed into the side of a truck so he could handle the pain.

Hermione moved her arms, bracing herself on the ice on either side of his body and she pushed herself up, their legs still tangled together, his hands still resting on the small of her back and her hair falling over her shoulders, brushing against his chest and even through his t-shirt he felt it tickle.

"Now who's terrible?" Hermione said through her laughter.

"I lost balance, it wasn't my fault," he protested and she laughed harder, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Merlin," she breathed out slowly, her laughter dying down into chuckles. "I can't remember when I last laughed so much, I'm not going to lie, I nearly wet myself."

"Thank God, you didn't," he replied and she laughed once more.

Turning his head to quickly scan his surroundings, he saw several kids pointing and laughing, couples who were skating past and holding hands seemed to look empathic; he assumed they'd likely experienced something similar, and some of the older crowd, mainly parents, looked down at them with scowls and disapproving looks.

That's when he realised how close they were to each other and how they were all but tangled together and he felt his face heat up. Thankfully, -or not, he hadn't yet decided- Hermione pushed herself off him and onto her knees, allowing him to climb back to his feet and he helped her up, knowing she didn't have the balance to do it herself.

Almost an hour later, Peter noticed that Hermione was a lot better on the ice than she had been when they first arrived. Well, at least now she could stand up without falling or having to hold onto something.

After climbing off the ice and returning their skates, they stepped out of the building and Peter checked the time, seeing it not being long after five o'clock in the evening. He looked to Hermione, seeing her brushing her hair over her shoulder and out of her face before she slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"It's only five o'clock," he said.

"Really?" She asked, looking surprised. "I thought it was later than that," she said, before biting at her lip and she looked up at him, a smile pulling at her face. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to do a third date?"

His mouth tugged into a smile and he nodded in agreement. "Your turn to choose, what do you want to do?"

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry, and I can't remember the last time I actually watched a movie. So maybe we go for pizza and then go to the movies, or we could do it the other way around? As it is, I can easily enough sneak in food and beverages."

"Sounds like a plan, there's a pizza place nearby so maybe pizza first?"

"Pizza first," she agreed, following him down the street. He smiled when she slipped her hand in his as she walked by his side.

They'd spent an hour in the restaurant and after eating their fill but making sure to leave enough room for snacks; they left the pizza place, made a quick pit-stop at a nearby grocery store -and received annoyed looks from the owner as they'd slipped in literally five minutes before closing- where they bought their snacks, candy and beverages, and then left, getting a cab to the movie theatre.

Hermione had easily smuggled their admittedly overfilled bag of goodies into the building and after searching through the showings, they'd settled on a comedy. Barely twenty minutes in they'd both gotten bored of the movie and instead left the screening room and snuck in to see a horror movie.

The room was surprisingly quiet so they had their choice of seats and chose to sit in the middle. Peter thought it funny how Hermione would startle and jump in her seat, or when she'd cover her eyes or let out little shrieks or gasps, especially after everything she'd seen in her life. He just couldn't fathom how she was scared by a movie but not dragons! But still, he didn't complain, he couldn't when Hermione was slouched in her chair and leaning against him, her head resting against his shoulder and her hand held in his. Of course, she slapped his arm once or twice when he chuckled at her, and she'd even thrown a candy bar at him when he left to go to the bathroom.

They were both a little disappointed when the movie ended but still, they left out the building hand in hand. Peter wasn't quite ready to call it a night, not when it was barely eight o'clock and his curfew on the weekend was eleven, rather than ten. He was surprised by how perfect his day with her had been and he knew not to take it for granted. She hadn't been summoned to the hospital –which was a miracle in itself- or by Director Fury, and he hadn't been forced to leave at the sound of emergency sirens or someone crying for help. In all honesty, Peter was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was expecting something to happen, so for it not to was strange, but it wasn't unwelcome. It wasn't often he had a day to just be a regular teen, to just be Peter Parker and not Spider-man.

"I want to show you something," he said as they walked down the street holding hands.

"Okay, then lead the way," she replied.

As he guided them towards their destination they chatted comfortably and they soon reached his intended target. Of course, Hermione hadn't been happy when it meant he had to use some webbing to get them onto the roof of the building because it didn't have a side ladder, and he was actually surprised that she'd agreed to it at all, and he didn't complain when she clung to him tightly in the process, terrified for her life.

She let out a relieved sigh when her feet touched the surface of the rooftop and after giving her a minute to adjust, he took her hand in his and led her over to the edge and they arrived just in time. As the sun began to set and cast pinks, reds and oranges across the sky, they stood side by side, hand in hand and with Hermione's head resting against his shoulder as they quietly watched the evening turn to night.

"When I first got my abilities, I used to come here a lot to just watch the sunset," he told her. "It helped me to process what I was going through and this is where I made the decision to become Spider-man, to help people, to try and make a difference to people's lives."

"You do make a difference, you might get a cat out of a tree but to a little girl, that cat is her best friend, it's her first love and her life. I know, I had a cat as a familiar but he died during the war. And even though it's been nearly two years since I lost the grumpy little sod I still miss him, and his habit of following me around, or of falling asleep in the most awkward places, or him stealing food from Harry's plate when he wasn't looking." He chuckled at her. "You do make a difference, no matter how small of an act it may seem." He squeezed her hand, thankful for her words. "And thank you for sharing this with me, it's beautiful, not quite as beautiful as the dragons but it's a close second."

"Doesn't come close to you," he muttered.

"What was that?" She questioned, lifting her head from his shoulder to look up at him.

"You're beautiful," he said nervously.

"Are you sure, you don't sound sure?" She replied.

He took a breath and turned to face her, looking down into her big brown eyes. "You're beautiful."

Much to his surprise, a light blush covered her cheeks. He was sure he'd never seen her blush.

"Thank you," she said, her gaze locked with his.

They just seemed to stare at each other, being unable to look away. He felt the shift in the atmosphere that surrounded them, it setting his spidey senses on edge, but it didn't feel bad or wrong. It felt right, good.

He kept his eyes on hers, even when she stepped closer to close the little distance there was between them, even when she reached up to push her hair over her shoulder, even when she rose up on her tiptoes bringing their faces closer together. His eyes closed when her mouth pressed to his, her lips being soft and warm but a little chapped in the right corner where he'd seen her nibble several times before.

Barely seconds later, her hand released his and her arms lifted and wound around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. Peter felt a little nervous not having much experience with kissing girls, but she didn't seem to care as she gently coaxed him into moving his mouth against hers and he brought his arms up, wrapping them around her back and holding her a little tighter to him.

He felt his heart rate pick up, could hear it pounding in his chest and his head went a little fuzzy when she nibbled at his bottom lip before her tongue darted out to swipe over it. Instinctively, he parted his mouth and he felt her tongue gently probing at his, coaxing him out of his shyness and nervousness.

Her hand wound into his hair and gently tugged on the strands, pulling a groan from the back of his throat. He was a little ashamed that he felt his body reacting to her, all blood seeming to rush south after only a bit of kissing, but then he had to remind himself that he was still a hormonal teenage boy and he was kissing a beautiful young woman who he'd spent most of his day with.

Suddenly, she pulled back from him, gasping for breath and she tilted her head forward, pressing her forehead against his. He opened his eyes, peering down to see that hers were still closed and she had a little smile on her face, a single dimple showing. He let his eyes fall shut, letting himself be taken over by the scent of vanilla, by the feel of her body pressed against his as he held her in his arms, by the sound of her increased heartbeat and her breathier than usual breathing. He could get used to it.

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend?" He asked quietly, wondering where the hell those words had come from as well as the confidence to say them to her face.

He opened his eyes when he felt her pulling her head back and he got caught in her big, brown orbs.

"Do you want me to be your girlfriend?" She asked him.

"Well... I..." She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I do," he breathed out, feeling nervous again.

Her mouth twitched at the corners. "Then I'm your girlfriend."

"Really?" He asked in surprise, his eyes widening a fraction.

She laughed lightly and nodded. "Really, after all, we did manage to squeeze four dates and watching the sunset into one day, a feat I'm quite proud of."

He blinked slowly before a smile spread across his face. He couldn't believe it, he had a girlfriend!

"You know the others will torture us when they find out, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from their teasing, they're scared of me," she replied and he chuckled, he didn't doubt they were.

From what he'd heard the more they trained together, the less she stopped holding back and the more they understood her true capabilities, which Mr. Stark had told him was quite frightening. Awesome, but frightening. Apparently, Pepper had even started threatening him with Hermione, like you would a young child with their mother.

"But you better prepare for it, has Tony told you you're coming to do training exercises at the compound next weekend?"

"No, not yet," he shook his head.

"Well, I'll tell him not to bother sending Happy; I'll pick you up at yours after school on Friday and teleport us over, save you the drive."

He nodded, he didn't much like the idea of facing the side effects of teleporting with her again, but he'd rather that than the long, boring drive.

"We should probably get going though, it's getting late," she said. "And your Aunt might start getting worried if you don't get back soon."

"Do you want me to take you home?" He asked her, hoping she'd say yes so he could spend a little more time with her.

"You just want to see where I live," she said amused.

He shrugged. "I'm not going to lie, I'm curious to see where an eighteen year old witch lives by herself in New York."

"Hmmm," she hummed, removing her arms from around his neck and stepping back from him, his arms releasing her and falling down his sides. "Alright then, but I'm teleporting, it's quicker."

He didn't much like that idea but he did slip his hand into hers and before he knew it, the familiar tug in his stomach was back, as was the sensation of being squeezed through a too small tube.

He felt his feet hit the ground and he noted that it didn't make as much noise as it did on solid flooring. His head didn't feel as dizzy and he didn't feel as nauseous and he was able to stand much sooner than he had the last time. Hermione was right, it did get easier the more you did it.

He opened his eyes and let them take in his surroundings, being surprised by how big it was. He could see the kitchen and the living room were open planned, both looking to have been recently remodelled and it had a modern feel to it with white marble countertops, black cupboard doors and drawers, black kitchen appliances and a black glass table sat in the middle of the kitchen with four leather chairs surrounding it. The light wooden flooring carried over to the living room and the reason his landing had been quiet was because he was stood on a white plush rug which was in front of the large fireplace that dominated the wall it sat on. A decently sized TV sat above it but he noted it wasn't plugged in at the wall, meaning she likely never used it but given what he knew of her work hours, that was expected.

A large corner suite couch was made of black leather and sat against the back wall opposite the fireplace, white throw cushions sat on the leather and a black glass coffee table sat in the centre of the room, matching the kitchen table. The walls were bare, looking to be white brick and a small chandelier hung from the ceiling. He noted a distinct lack of personal items and touches in either room, but she'd told him she spent more time at the compound than she did at home, so if she wasn't at her apartment often she probably wouldn't bother.

He spied another three doors, one was obviously a bathroom, the other a bedroom –and he could partially see a dark carpet with the door being ajar- and the other he didn't know what it was, and though he was curious he didn't want to go snooping in his new girlfriend's apartment. God! That was going to take some getting used to.

Instead, he crossed the room, heading over to the windows that had flowy curtains tied back and allowing him to see what was outside because he was hoping to see some familiar markers that would help him identify where exactly she lived. He looked out at the street, seeing a few street signs but whilst nothing stood out to him, it did seem familiar. Letting his eyes wander a little further, he continued to scan his surroundings until they landed on a car he'd seen several times before.

"Wait, I know that car," he said with a frown and he turned around, seeing that Hermione had shrugged off her coat and she was hanging it up by the door.

"Do you?" She asked, sounding intrigued.

He let his thoughts wander, trying to piece together how and why he'd seen that car, and then it hit him. He knew where she lived, and it actually wasn't that far from him, maybe a twenty-minute walk, if that.

"Yeah, it belongs to one of May's friends, which means you live on the same street as her, so now I _do_ know where you live."

"Oh, what are the chances of that," she said, genuinely looking surprised, before shaking her head. "Anyway," she said, walking into the kitchen, pulling something out of one of the drawers and then walking back over to him and handing him a scrap bit of paper. He looked down at it, recognising it as being a phone number. "That's my phone number."

"But you said you can't use technological devices," he said confused.

"I can't, but Tony and I have been working together and we've managed to protect one of those old flip phones from my magic. It doesn't do much but now I can stay in contact with you, so we no longer have to keep relying on being in the same place at the same time, especially if we're dating now and we want to meet up to spend some time together."

He smiled at that, liking the idea that when he thought about her or had the urge to speak to her about something that had happened that day, he'd be able to call her. And it would be a lot easier to meet up with her, too, especially now they had a way of working their way around their busy schedules. Peter wasn't stupid, he knew that being with her was going to take effort and that they'd have to work hard. They were both superheroes, and that came with a price.

"We're still struggling with the newer technology and smartphones, but it doesn't bother me, as long as I can contact you, I'm happy."

"You know this means I'm going to be calling you every night, right?" He said.

She smiled at him. "I'm counting on it, I did say the thing I missed most about being in a relationship was being able to talk to someone when I came home and I meant it."

"And the cuddles," he added.

"Definitely the cuddles," she nodded seriously and he chuckled. "So I hope you're prepared because you're now my own personal life-sized teddy bear. I'm not a needy, clingy person, but I do like my cuddles."

He snorted at her, shaking his head. "If you don't mind me asking, this," he gestured about the apartment. "How can you afford it?"

"I'm not offended, you're curious, I understand. To answer your question my parents were well off and when they died I got everything, the house, the cars and the business which I sold. And my inheritance came through when I turned eighteen. On top of that, I also received compensation from the families that caused me harm during the war, and I received reward money to accompany the award they gave me for my efforts in the war."

"What award?" He asked curiously.

"Not telling you," she said. "Now, you've had a nosy, you know where I live and I think you should get home before your Aunt starts to worry. Do you want me to teleport you?"

"No, I'll walk it; I can do with the fresh air."

"Alright then, give me a hug and then you can be on your way."

He snorted at her but he did slip the scrap bit of paper into his back pocket and then he closed the distance between them, no longer feeling nervous about pulling her into his arms and hugging her against him. He smiled when she let out a sigh and wrapped her around his back, her forehead pressing against his chest and his chin rested atop her head.

"I could get used to this," he said.

"Good, because it'll be happening a lot," she promised.

She pulled back far enough that she was still in his arms and close to him, but so she could see him. She smiled at him and his eyes closed when she pressed her mouth against his, one, twice, three times and then she pulled away.

"Off go you," she said softly, nodding to the door.

"I'll text you later?"

She smiled. "I look forward to it."

He readjusted his backpack on his shoulder before heading for the door, his hand pausing when he gripped the door handle and he looked over his shoulder when Hermione called his name.

"I'm glad you pulled yourself together long enough to ask me on a date," she said.

His eyes widened and he swallowed. "You knew I liked you?" He questioned in surprise, feeling his face heat up.

She nodded, "I knew, and I'm surprised you didn't know the feeling was mutual, I didn't exactly try to hide it, not that it matters anymore."

"Yeah, right, I'll see you later."

"If not during the week then definitely on Friday," she nodded with a smile.

He gave her a final look before he left out the door and made his way down the stairs until he was stepping out on the street. He took a minute to actually process the fact he had an actual girlfriend before he made his way home, it being dark enough that he could get home swinging from his webbing without his suit as long as he stayed in the shadows.

He climbed in through his bedroom window, let his backpack drop to the ground and he sat on his bed, switching on the bedside lamp before pulling out Hermione's phone number and programming it into his phone, even setting it as speed dial '4'.

There was a knock on his door and it opened, it revealing his Aunt in the dim lighting. It was still early but she was dressed for bed, probably so she could do a bit of reading before she fell asleep.

"I heard you come in," she nodded to the window as she leaned against the doorframe. "So, how did it go?"

"How did what go?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Your date with Hermione of course, though considering you've been gone nearing eight hours, I'd say it went well, unless you did some patrolling in which case, how did it go?"

He blinked before shaking his head. "How'd you know I had a date with Hermione, I never told you?"

She snorted at him. "I know you, Peter, that's how. How did it go? Don't make me ask you again or I swear I'll ground you."

He shifted on his bed and clasped his hands together. "Well, really well," he answered and she smiled at him. "We actually ended up having four dates in one."

"Meaning?"

"She took me somewhere and showed me something." She raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell you what it was, it was an Avengers thing," he lied, knowing she respected his work with them and she wouldn't pry. "But I've honestly never seen anything like it, I'm still trying to convince myself I actually saw what I did," he shook his head and she chuckled. "Then we went ice skating. After we went for pizza, then we saw a movie, and then we watched the sunset. And now...Well...We're kind of official." She blinked slowly. "She's my girlfriend."

He startled when she let out a noise he'd never heard from her before, a girly squeal. She clapped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her feet before she crossed the room –more like ran- and she hopped up on the bed beside him, crossing her legs and turning to face him.

"Tell me everything," she demanded.

He blinked in surprise. "May, it's getting late," he said.

"You don't have school tomorrow, so, tell me everything and don't you dare leave anything out. Did you have fun? How was the food? What movie did you see? Did you kiss? Please tell me you kissed during the sunset."

Peter knew he wouldn't be getting sleep anytime soon.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count: 18

"Hey, Superhero," she said softly, smiling at him.

He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he opened the door wider and reached for her. She didn't look surprised and went willingly towards him when he tugged her forward, pulling her into a hug and wrapping her up in his arms. Her arms wound around him, her hands resting in-between his shoulder blades and she placed her forehead against his chest.

He'd been expecting her as it was a week since they'd started dating and it was Friday afternoon. He'd only been home from school ten minutes when he'd heard a knock on the door and he barely stopped himself from running to it.

He hadn't seen her since he left her apartment the week before, they'd both tried to meet up but she'd been called to the hospital and the times she'd been at the compound she'd been so exhausted he didn't want her to risk hurting herself when teleporting. Instead, they settled on texting during the day, replying as soon as they were able and he always made sure to call her at night. They talked about nothing and everything until she fell asleep with him still on the line; she always apologised the next morning in her texts but he couldn't blame her for being so tired with her work schedule, and he thought it was quite cute, too.

And while he was disappointed he hadn't been able to see her in the last week, he knew it was a possibility and it just meant that the time they did get to spend with each other they had to make the most of it, but at least he'd be spending the weekend with her, even if they would be surrounded with the rest of the Avengers and doing training exercises.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked him, pulling her head back from his chest to look up at him.

"Not yet," he replied, his eyes darting from hers and down to her mouth.

Her mouth pulled into a smile before she stretched up on her tiptoes, his eyes closing when her mouth pressed to his before pulling back, a laugh leaving her and being muffled when he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers once more, making his intentions known but letting her take the lead as she coaxed him into moving his mouth against hers and her tongue darted out to swipe at the seam of his lips. He parted his mouth, feeling her tongue move to greet his.

He held her tighter, her hands bunching into his t-shirt when he experimentally nibbled at her lip the way she had done to him before. He felt his head swimming, his heart pounding and all blood rushing south when a moan fell from her lips. Knowing he needed to get control of himself before they left for the compound, he pulled back from her, letting out a breath. He opened his eyes, getting caught in her gaze, seeing her shining orbs and her bright smile, her dimples showing and his mouth pulled into a smile, too.

"Now I'm ready," he said.

She laughed at him, shaking her head and stepping back, allowing him to grab his hoody and his backpack, containing his suit and a couple of changes of underwear and clothing. He knew not to bother with pyjamas and toiletries as the pyjamas were already provided and he'd left his toiletries in his room the last time he'd visited.

Grabbing his keys and locking the door, he took Hermione's hand in his and they left down the stairs until they stepped out onto the street, Hermione leading them to an alleyway where they could teleport without being seen.

"How's your day been?" She asked him.

"The usual, classes, lunch, classes, Ned talking my ear off and wanting to know every detail of what happened at the compound when I get back." She laughed at him. "Yours?"

"Not bad, I've been with Tony in his lab most of the day," she answered. "I forgot to tell you I met Rhodey the other day, he's going to be at the compound this weekend."

"And?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering how his mentor's best friend had taken to Hermione, but knowing how much she loved to poke and prod at the older man, he was sure Rhodey would approve of her.

"I think he likes me, or at the very least, he likes that I wind Tony up so much and he finds it funny that he's scared of me," she said and he snorted at her. "He hasn't been in a training session with me yet, so today's the first time and the others are refusing to tell him what to expect. They said they were all in the dark when they first fought me, so he has to be, too. I know Tony can't wait to see the look on his face when he realises what he's up against."

"Know the feeling," he replied amused.

"I met Vision the other day, he's a bit strange but that's to be expected, he's disappeared again, I don't think anyone but Wanda knows where he is and she won't give it up. Thor still hasn't made an appearance and neither has Bruce."

Peter frowned. The times he'd been at the compound and Bruce hadn't been there he'd just assumed he was off doing Avengers stuff, but if he wasn't there when Hermione was and she was there just as often as Natasha who seemed to live at the compound, then where the hell was he? And why hadn't someone mentioned him?

"Anyway, I'll teleport us straight to the corridor that houses our rooms, we both need to suit up and then we're meeting in the conference room."

"Do you have a suit now?"

"Not really, but I know Tony wants to make something for me, but it's difficult given my magic's interference with the technology but I will give him this, he's determined to not give up. My suit's a bit like Natasha's."

"And why are we meeting in the conference room?"

She shrugged. "It's what we've been doing near enough every morning. We always meet up for a chat and then go about our tasks or training. It helps keep morale up when we're having a laugh or winding each other up first thing in the morning... This should do," she said, pulling him down an alleyway and out of sight.

When they landed in the familiar corridor it took barely a minute for him to gain his bearings, and she released his hand, stepping back from him.

"Alright, we're meeting in fifteen minutes so be quick," she told him, giving him a smile before walking away from him and towards her own room.

After he dropped his things off in his room and quickly changed into his suit, he headed for the conference room and when he saw the door shut, he knocked before entering, seeing everyone present with the exception of his mentor.

"Kid, you don't have to knock," Captain America told him, looking amused.

"Sorry," he replied, taking his seat. It seemed they'd all kept their original seating arrangements from the first time they'd meant Hermione, and they were even sitting the same way, too.

Hermione, Clint and Natasha all had their feet propped up on the table, leaning back in their chairs, Bucky, Steve and Rhodey –who was sat on the other side of Sam-, sat straight in their chairs, Sam was slumped in his and Wanda had her feet pulled up onto her seat. Peter took his seat, leaving the space at the head of the table were Tony would sit opposite Hermione.

Peter let his eyes wander to Hermione, them widening a fraction when he saw her in her new suit. It was similar to Natasha's, it looking to be made of black leather but he knew the fabric was far more complex than that, it helping to protect her from extreme temperatures and allowing for flexibility. From what he could see from Hermione's position of sitting down, the dark fabric clung to her form, her black boots blending in and stopping just above her knees. The fabric covered her abdomen, the sleeves falling down to her wrists and it was unzipped a little, creating a v-neck.

Unlike Natasha's suit which held a utility belt, wrist cuffs and weapon holsters, Hermione's was plain black, but she did have a single gold and red stripe that started at the collars and went down her shoulders to her wrists, down her sides, over her hips and continuing down the side of her thighs and boots and ending at her feet, making the entire outfit look more like a cat-suit. He noticed that on the left side of her chest, just over her heart, sat a golden lioness. Her wild curls were pulled back from her face in a low ponytail and resting over her right shoulder, and he hadn't noticed how pale her skin was until he saw it contrasting against the dark fabric. She looked beautiful, powerful, 'badass' as Natasha and Wanda would say.

He realised he was staring and he swallowed, dragging his eyes away from her and looking up at the ceiling, trying to stop himself from blushing so he didn't give himself away.

"Where's Tony, he's late?" Steve said.

"He'll be in his lab," Hermione answered. "Hang on," she spoke, and she reached for the tablet that sat on the corner of the table off to her left, settling it in her lap and she typed in the password with her eyes trained on the screen. "We've managed to work our way around this tablet," she explained, briefly looking up at him after sensing his confusion. "But I can't use it for more than ten minutes at a time or it'll fry."

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously, seeing her tapping at the screen with a smirk on her face.

Barely thirty seconds later they heard, a "Damn it, Granger!" Echoing throughout the compound and the others started sniggering and chuckling, it only being him and Rhodey that was confused. "Stop bombing my island!"

"Island?" Peter asked.

"Yep, we've been in a war the last few weeks," Hermione answered. "You know, one of those games where you have to build your island to get onto the next level, but other people can attack it and destroy it?"

He nodded, knowing Ned played one of them –he wasn't sure which one as there were so many of them- and he was always complaining about others attacking his island and destroying what took him days to build.

"Well, he thinks it's funny to bomb my island, so I make sure to return the favour," she said, tapping at the screen once more, a smirk pulling at her mouth.

"Damn it, Granger! I'm gunna make sure the cafeteria stops stocking donuts!" Tony called, and Peter noted that it didn't seem as far away so he assumed he was making his way to the conference room.

Hermione snorted. "They love me, they wouldn't do that."

"Bomb his island?" Peter asked, his mouth pulling into an amused smile.

"No," she said, lifting the table and turning it around so they could all see the screen, it showing a rather large sum of money with fireworks surrounding it. "Just raided his island and stole every penny he had. We're both on the same level and now that I've stolen all his money, he can't afford to repair the damages I've just done and I can finish off my island, advancing to the next level," she said, turning the screen back towards her and tapping away, he assumed she was doing just that.

"Damn it, Granger!" Tony called again, his voice once more sounding closer.

"What have you done to him now?" Steve asked amused.

"Nothing," she replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I haven't done anything, he tried to bomb my island but my shields stopped him."

The door burst open and the only reason Peter didn't startle was that he'd heard the footsteps approaching. His mentor stepped into the room, levelling a scowl directly at Hermione.

"How lovely of you to show up, Stark," she said innocently.

He took his seat in a huff. "Stay the hell off my island," he told her, crossing his arms childishly.

"You're just jealous I'm winning," she replied.

"No, you're not," he said.

She smirked. "The money I just stole from you let me finish my island, I'm on the next level," she said smugly, reaching to put the tablet back on the table and off to the side.

"Damn it," he grumbled beneath his breath, leaning back in his chair.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin," Steve said.

"Not yet, Cap," Sam said, a smirk pulling at his face and Peter suddenly felt nervous when his eyes darted between him and Hermione. "So, how long have you two been dating?"

Peter let out a strangled sound, his face turning red and they all turned to him, looking amused.

Hermione just raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think we're dating?" She asked, neither confirming nor denying it.

"I know this one," Tony said smugly, raising his hand before sitting up in his chair and his mentor turned to look at him. "Your lovely Aunt May told me, she was very excited, couldn't stop talking about your first date and your first kiss under the sunset," he grinned.

Peter had honestly never been more embarrassed, he couldn't even make a sound.

"Tony, did May tell you where I took Peter?"

"No, she said Peter told her it was Avengers stuff," he replied. She smirked at him. "Where did you take him?"

"I don't know if I should tell you, I wouldn't want you getting jealous."

"I won't get jealous," he said indignantly.

"Alright then, I took him into Wizarding New York." Tony's eyes widened before they darted to him and then back to Hermione. "And he got to witness a dragon and her baby being released back into the wild after spending a year being rehabilitated in the New York Reserve."

"Dragons?" He stumbled.

"Dragons," she said. "And they were beautiful, truly a sight to see and a one of a kind experience. You should've seen them, Tony. Their eyes sparkled and their scales were like polished pearls. The mother even got the sneezes when she sniffed at some daises and the baby couldn't stop letting out puffs of smoke when he was chasing the fireflies. And then they took to the sky, gliding through the air effortlessly until they headed for the mountains, looking for a new home."

Tony took a breath and looked to him. "You lucky little shit," he said.

Peter would've laughed if he weren't so embarrassed and he had the mental capacity to do so.

Tony turned back to Hermione. "Just you wait, when my energy levels are refilled I'm bombing the hell out of your island."

Hermione smiled. "You're a billionaire, buy some."

He scoffed. "I don't think so, that game's had enough money out of me."

"Then you shouldn't be so rubbish at it," Hermione shrugged. Tony scowled.

"Can we start now?" Steve interrupted.

"No," Sam said and Steve let out a sigh. "Back to my original point. So, Spidey's got himself a girlfriend? Awe, it's puppy love," Sam teased.

Peter's face would've darkened if it were possible and Hermione rolled her eyes, draping her arms over the armrests of her chair lazily.

"I'm a cat and he's a spider, you overgrown pigeon," she replied, and the room seemed to burst into sniggers and chuckles, Steve clapping Sam on the shoulder as he shook his head and laughed, thankfully taking the attention away from him and he felt himself slowly starting to relax. "And how's your girlfriend?"

"I don't have one," he replied.

"You don't? That's surprising," she mocked and the sniggers and chuckles grew louder as Sam scowled at her, leaning back into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alright, you little savage," Clint said amused, "What've you got for us?"

"Glad you asked," she said, pulling her wand from her boot and giving it a wave, Clint's eyes widening in glee when he saw a bow and a quiver of arrows appearing on the table. "I've made some adjustments to your bow, which was actually quite easy to do with the lack of technology. First of all, your bow can now double as a shield, similar to mine. I spent two weeks trying to make it bulletproof but without a continuous burst of magical energy, it doesn't work. So while it can't stop weapons, it can stop say, someone hitting you in the face. I've also fitted it with a one use only power surge. A burst of magical energy will be released from the bow when you activate it, it will be so strong it'll fry any electrics and technology within a thirty meter radius and it'll have enough power to throw back anyone in a twenty meter radius. So if you're surrounded and outnumbered with no way out, that'll give you the chance to escape," she explained.

"That's great," he beamed, reaching for the bow, his eyes looking it over appreciatively.

"As I said, it's only a onetime thing so choose wisely when you wish to use it. Once you get back to base," she gestured about the room, "I can recharge that magical battery, so to speak, but it'll take a few hours. As for your arrows, I've placed an Enlargement Charm on the sheath meaning you can carry up to sixty arrows and whilst that might not seem like a lot, I've charmed each arrow so that after a specific amount of time has passed, they'll automatically reappear and be ready for use, so technically, you'll never run out of arrows again. And finally, there's a hidden compartment on the strap with enough room to hide a knife and a gun."

"Not bad, Kitty," Tony said impressed and Hermione sent him an annoyed look, the others snorted and he felt confused.

"He's trying to make it stick as my code name," she told him, not looking the least bit happy by it and Peter quietly chuckled as she turned her attention back to Tony. "And hell will freeze over before I let anyone refer to me as that." She said, sending him a final look before turning to Natasha and the redhead raised an eyebrow. "I'm still working on a way to camouflage you into any background, but I've been able to add hidden compartments in your suit, so you'll be able to carry more weapons, and you'll be the only one who knows they're there. If you're ever searched, manually or otherwise, they won't be detected."

"That'll come in handy," Natasha nodded.

Hermione looked at Steve and he raised an eyebrow. "Your shield's giving me a bit of bother, I'm not going to lie. The magic doesn't seem to want to stick to the vibranium so I'm going to have to get creative, maybe try experimenting with a few potions. But what I have been able to do is similar to Clint and Nat, there's a hidden compartment on the back of your shield which holds a few items from my world of which we used during the war."

Steve sat up taller, looking to her in intrigue. "And they are?"

"The first is a decoy detonator, it's basically an explosion you don't have to set it off. You put it down, activate it and it'll find the perfect target before detonating. The next is Peruvian instant darkness powder, better than any smoke bomb and from my experiments, even night vision goggles don't work against it, so you have to be careful with how you use it because you won't be able to see either. And I've also given you some Loonar Loop Luminators, that when activated will emit a beam of light that is so bright it's blinding."

"I've no doubt I'll find a use for them," he tilted his head, his mouth pulling into a smile of thanks.

"I've got some stockpiled but if you do find they're useful and you want more, I can order them from a friend of mine who created them, he's pretty much a magical inventor, genius if you ask me," she said, before she looked to Sam, and he sat up in his seat.

"You have something for me?" He asked excitedly.

"Not yet, Tweety, I'm still working on a few ideas," she answered and he slumped back into his seat, sulking.

"My turn," his mentor said and Peter looked to him when Tony pulled a brown paper bag from beneath the table and then sat it on the surface, pushing it over to him. Peter blinked in surprise. "New suit," he explained.

"Mr. Stark, I'm wearing my new suit, I've barely had it a few months," he replied.

"Exactly, you're long overdue a new one," he said. "I've made a few minor adjustments to the voice commands, added in a few upgrades and you'll be better insulated against rain and the cold. And you don't have to remove your mask by hand, it'll retract into the suit like mine does."

Peter stared at the paper bag. "That's awesome, Mr. Stark, thank you," he replied. And though he was extremely grateful for the new suit, he'd have Ned check to see what exactly the new 'upgrades' were, especially after the protocols he'd found and disabled in the suit he was currently wearing. Ned wasn't his guy in the chair for nothing.

"At least now you can't lose it," he said.

Peter gave a sheepish smile. "I lost it once and I found it again," he defended.

"A child found it and you had to steal it back," he pointed out, the others sniggering in amusement.

"Alright, if that's everything we can get started with the training exercises and put our new weaponry to the test," Steve said, looking around the room to see if anyone had anything to add.

They all made to stand when a blue-silver misty stag came flying through the window and it came to a stop in the centre of the table, everyone but Rhodey –who looked absolutely freaked out- looking surprised to see it, but not confused by its existence or purpose.

"Heads up," was what the stag said, the voice of her friend sounding before the stag disappeared.

Hermione let out a groan and her head flopped back, before saying, "You're going to get me shot, Potter," when the dark haired wizard appeared in the room with a 'thud', Rhodey startling but Peter had expected it after witnessing it last time.

The wizard nodded to them in greeting and they all tilted their heads in acknowledgement, watching him curiously.

"Sorry, but you haven't been answering our floo calls or owls," he said.

"Harry, I'm busy," she said, looking annoyed. "I don't know how many times I have to explain that. I don't get days off like you do. I'm either at the hospital or I'm here, I haven't slept at my apartment in weeks, I practically live here." He frowned but shook his head. "What's the problem?"

"Well, I've come to pick you up, obviously."

"For what exactly?" She raised an eyebrow.

He frowned at her, looking at her strangely. "The wedding?"

"And who's wedding would that be?" She asked.

"Ron's, he's getting married today."

Hermione's mood plummeted, they could all see it. Her face went blank, her body tense, her eyes dulling and she sat up in her chair, bringing her feet down to the ground, leaning forward and clasping her hands together on the surface of the table. Peter assumed it was her ex-boyfriend, the one she'd told him about and he watched her carefully, waiting to see what she'd say or do next.

"Is he now?" She said, her mouth pursing and her brow furrowing.

"Wait, you didn't know?" Her friend spoke, both sounding and looking surprised.

"No, I knew he was engaged because you told me, but I had no idea when the wedding was or that they were going through with it so quickly."

"Ron told me he'd sent you an invitation with all the details," he frowned.

Hermione snorted. "Of course he did, 'cause he's a lying, cheating arsehole. I haven't heard from him in months, the last time I spoke to him was a month before I left London. But two weeks ago I got a letter from him asking me _not_ to attend the wedding."

Her friend's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened, and whilst Peter knew the context behind the conversation, the others didn't and they looked very confused.

"He wouldn't do that, 'Mione, Ron loves you, of course he'd want you at his wedding."

"So you're calling me a liar now?" She said, anger beginning to make itself known in both her voice and the way her eyes flashed. "So what, I'm suddenly stupid and can't read?"

"I didn't say that," he back peddled.

"You implied it," she replied. "Maybe Ron does want me at the wedding, maybe he doesn't. The fact of the matter is, I'd recognise his chicken scratch handwriting anywhere and he was _very_ clear that he wanted me to stay far away from the happiest day of his life."

"You're his best friend."

"Tell him that, not that I actually want to go, I'm over the fact he cheated on me, I just can't believe he chose Lavender Bloody Brown over me. She's probably the one that told him not to invite me to the wedding, she's always hated me. And it's not my fault that he doesn't have a backbone and he's letting that insipid witch walk all over him. I can't stand the sight of her but I was willing to put that all aside for him, and again, he chose her over me. I can't do it anymore, Harry. I'm done with him."

"'Mione..."

"No, Harry," she interrupted. "I've had enough of him treating me the way he does, he doesn't deserve my friendship and he never has. So go home, tell him I hope has a lovely day and I hope he's truly happy with Lavender. I hold no ill will against him, not anymore. I'm moving on in my life and onto bigger and better things and Ron couldn't handle that. He wanted me to be the perfect house-witch, to stay home and watch the babies, I can't and won't be that, but Lavender will."

"She's pregnant."

"What?" She blurted out.

"Lavender's pregnant, it's why they're getting married so quickly."

Peter noted that he wasn't the only one that seemed to be looking to the others with raised eyebrows and curious looks.

"That actually doesn't surprise me," Hermione sighed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms, suddenly looking tired. "I wouldn't put it past her to have done it on purpose."

Her friend seemed to agree with her. "She said she _forgot_ to take her Contraception Potion for the month."

"Hmm," Hermione hummed. "I don't suppose it matters, he's gotten what he wanted, a baby making machine to give him the big family he's always wanted. It's not my fault he couldn't handle my wanting to have a career and help people. It's not my fault he's got outdated views and ideals."

"It's the way he was raised, you know what Molly's like."

Hermione's mouth twitched. "I do, but the others don't have those beliefs," she shrugged. "I take it she doesn't know?"

"Not yet, they're going to try and pass it off as her having gone into labour early, she's not showing yet so she'll only know if they tell her. Even Gin doesn't know, Ron made me promise to keep it a secret."

"And you told me?"

He shrugged. "You're my best friend; I've never been able to keep secrets from you."

"Well, Molly's not going to fall for that, she's had seven kids, she's knows everything there possibly is to know about pregnancy and motherhood."

"I pointed that out but Lavender was adamant they'd be able to fool her."

Hermione snorted. "I might just return to London to see Molly's reaction, of course, she'll wait until after the baby's born before she gets out the wooden spoon and starts hexing Lavender and Ron until they can't walk."

"A sight I'd pay my entire fortune to see," her friend nodded in agreement.

"We know you're loaded, Potter," she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Anyway, you better get back and get ready for the wedding."

"I'll be speaking with Ron when I get back, I might even re-break his nose."

"That's my thing, get your own," she said and he laughed at her. "Don't worry about it, Harry. It's over and done with. And please don't come here again, you're putting me in a lot of danger when you do. I know you're worried about me but you need to focus on your life, you need to focus on Ginny and your career. I'm happy here, just remember that. I might not be able to contact you as much as you'd like, but that doesn't mean I'm ignoring you, I'm just busy."

"Right, I'm sorry, and I better go, and I won't come here again. Just remember to check your mail, please. Gin's starting wedding planning soon..."

"Great," she sighed.

He snorted at her. "We're fighting over you, she wants you as her maid of honour, I want you as my best ma'am."

"I can be both," she shrugged. "Just keep me well away from the planning, and if she even thinks of putting me in that dress Molly picked out, I'm boycotting the wedding altogether."

"If I have to suffer so do you."

"Charming," she scoffed. "She's your girlfriend, your problem, I want nothing to do with it. I'll just turn up, keep my mouth shut and maybe get a little drunk, it'll be the only thing that'll allow me to handle Ron and Lavender."

He snorted. "I'll make sure to have the bar fully stocked. Right, I'm off, be careful and take care of yourself."

"I watched your stupid arse for years, I'll be fine."

"See you later," he chuckled before he was gone from the room.

Hermione let out a groan, dropped her head onto the table before taking a breath and standing from her chair.

"Right then, training, let's go."

"No, I want to know what all that was about," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We have training,"

"I actually want to know, too," Captain America said, sitting back in his chair and raising an eyebrow.

"You're a bunch of nosy sods," she sighed. "Fine, Ron wasn't just my best friend, we dated after the war. He wants a big family and a witch that will stay home and cook and clean. I wanted a career, to help people. He couldn't handle my long hours working at the hospital and it was always the topic of argument. The reason I worked so much was so I could finish my training in half the time it would usually take, so then I could give him the attention he wanted. He couldn't wait and he cheated on me with someone we went to school with, his ex-girlfriend actually. She's always hated me, always been jealous of me, because of my grades, my fame, my role in the war. It wasn't even the fact that he cheated on me that got to me; it was that it was _her_. But I'm over it now, he's getting married, apparently, he's got a baby on the way, it's what he's always wanted. So good for him. There, that's the story, now let's train."

She walked away from the table and out of the room.

"Damn," Sam muttered.

Silently, they all stood and followed after her, the group of superheroes passing Hermione and walking ahead of them and he fell into step beside her.

"You alright?" He asked her. "I mean, I know you knew about the wedding, but not about the rest of it."

She let out a breath and nodded. "Fine, just the shock of it all's starting to set in. But I mean it, I'm over it and I don't want to dwell on what happened anymore. I've got a job I love, I've got a group of superhero misfits who've quickly become my family and no matter how much we wind each other up, I do love them, and now I've got you, the way I see it, this is as close to a perfect life as I can get."

He smiled at her and reached out, clasping her hand in his, but she lifted his arm until it hooked around her shoulders and he chuckled when she tucked herself into his side.

"So, do want to do something next week?"

"Sure, what were you thinking?"

"Whatever you want," he shrugged.

"Ice skating? I haven't had that much fun in a long time, but you have to promise not to let me fall, or I swear, I'm taking you down with me."

He laughed at her. "Promise," he nodded. She beamed and reached up, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, Love Birds, you can make out later, right now we have to train!" Sam called.

Peter blushed and Hermione sighed. "Shut it, I've seen more hair on a bald eagle!" Hermione fired back, laughter erupting from the other members that walked ahead of them.

Peter may have been the youngest not-quite-an-Avenger-yet Avenger, but he'd never realised just how childish and immature his fellow superheroes were. And he couldn't even blame it on Hermione, they'd always had their bickers and childish fights, Hermione just seemed to bring it out in them a lot more, but he supposed it didn't do any harm. If anything, the Avengers seemed to get on a lot better since Hermione had joined the team.

~000~000~000~

"Night, May," Peter called, stepping into his bedroom and closing the door behind him.

It was a Friday night and six weeks since he and Hermione had started dating. In the five weeks since the rest of the Avengers had found out, he'd been back to the compound twice, spending his weekends carrying out training sessions though not everyone was always present.

Things with him and Hermione were going as well as they possibly could. In the five weeks that had passed, he and Hermione had been able to spend time together as she'd started cutting back her hours at the hospital with the intention of quitting, so she could focus her attention on the Avengers.

They texted every day and shared a phone call every night, and they'd even been able to make sure to meet up at least three times a week, whether it be them going to the movies or for food, taking a walk through the streets, or even him doing his homework whilst she read through one of her medical textbooks, which more often than not, they did at her apartment as he was able to focus a lot better without his Aunt hovering around and teasing him.

Ned had met Hermione, too, though it had been completely by accident. He'd always intended to tell him about Hermione, he just hadn't been sure how to do it. He and Hermione had been walking into the movie theatre the same time Ned had been walking out and his friend had been more than surprised to see his arm wrapped around someone as beautiful as Hermione.

Ned had been beside himself to learn he had a girlfriend, even more so that she was a fellow Avenger. Peter didn't know how Ned had figured it out given he'd never mentioned Hermione before, but there was a reason he was his guy in the chair. But then, a week before, Hermione had been sent out on a rescue and aid mission with Steve and Sam, of which resulted in her photo being taken and splashed across the news, labelling her as an Avenger.

They'd all known it would happen eventually so not only did she wear her suit, but she wore a matching mask that surrounded her eyes and covered the top of her nose, helping to conceal her identity. When he'd seen her on the news the next morning, he'd never felt more proud, but he'd never been so worried, especially when he saw her with a split lip, a cut to her cheek and her hair surrounding her in wild curls. Whilst Steve and Sam had gotten some media coverage, the attention had mainly been on Hermione, everyone wanting to know just who the new Avenger was.

Hermione had suggested they put the movie off for a little while longer and instead they went to get some food with Ned, Hermione having spent all of her time misdirecting Ned's questions about her role with the Avengers and what her abilities were that made her a candidate for the team of superheroes, and Peter had to give it to her, she hadn't folded and she'd remained tight-lipped. Ned had left them alone having to get home, and the next day at school, he hadn't left him alone and he'd gotten them both detention for continuingly talking during class.

He no longer felt nervous when wanting to hug her or kiss her, he no longer felt embarrassed about his lack of kissing skills because in the time that passed not only had she never complained, but he knew he'd gotten far better, after all, practice made perfect. In the time they were alone together, their kisses did tend to get heated and hands did wander, but it had never gone any further than that because they were always interrupted.

If it weren't Hermione being summoned by the hospital or Director Fury, or him having to leave after hearing emergency sirens or because he was going to miss curfew, it was his Aunt May who always seemed to return to the apartment when things between them grew heated. It was like she just knew, like she could sense it.

He and Hermione had planned to meet earlier that day once he'd gotten out of school, but two days before she'd been sent out on a mission. He'd been worried since and it didn't matter that he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself or that she had someone to watch her back, and by this point, she was a pro, having been on nearly a dozen missions since her time starting with the Avengers, it still didn't stop his worry. And now she wasn't just his friend or a member of the team, now she was a girlfriend and he _really_ cared for her, he hated the thought of her being in danger and getting hurt, but then it was a risk they all took to do the job they did.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair before he removed his t-shirt and jeans, grabbing a clean t-shirt and slipping it on and then climbing into bed, getting himself comfortable. He'd been dozing off when he was startled by a sharp 'crack,' immediately recognising it as the sound of Hermione's teleportation.

He sprung up in bed, reaching over to turn on the lamp and his eyes were immediately drawn to his desk. In his dimly lit room, he could see Hermione leaning against his desk and she looked awful. He saw her swaying and she lost her balance, he was beside her instantly, catching her in his arms and holding her against him before she hit the ground and she let out a sigh.

"Hermione?" He muttered worriedly. "What the hell happened? Are you alright? When'd you get back?"

"Just over an hour ago. I was with Nat and Clint, we were infiltrating a terrorist cell and extracting some potential alien weaponry. Things didn't go to plan, we had to split up. It was easy enough to fight my way out but I had to find them before I could leave. We managed to meet up a while later and as I was apparating us to the plane, I was shot."

"What!" He said louder than he'd meant to.

She let out a groan of pain when he squeezed her a little tighter and he only managed to calm himself because he didn't want to accidentally hurt her again.

"I was shot in the stomach. It didn't do too much damage, I patched myself up on the way back. The bleeding's stopped but my body still needs to heal the muscle and tissue damage and it hurts like hell."

"What were you thinking teleporting when you're injured?" He demanded, pulling back to look at her but still holding her weakened form up.

"I wasn't," she said, sounding tired and she looked it, too, and far too pale. "I wanted to see you. Do you think your Aunt would mind if I stay here tonight?" She asked. His eyes widened slightly. "I just don't want to be alone. Tony's gone away with Pepper for the weekend, Nat and Clint were sent back out on a mission after they dropped me off at the compound, Wanda's disappeared but we all think she's with Vision, and the three soldiers are out of the country doing Merlin knows what, and I don't want to be alone at my apartment."

"I'll ask her but I don't think she'll mind, can you walk?" She nodded. "We'll get you over to the bed then," he said, helping her as she tiredly stumbled across his room and to his bed, gently perching on the edge of the mattress. "I'll be right back."

He turned and quickly left his room, heading for the living room where he could hear the TV playing and when he stepped in, his Aunt was sat on the couch with a book in hand, but her eyes were glued to the TV screen.

"May?" He said, startling her.

"Goodness, Peter, you scared me," she said, turning to look at him and her face immediately pulled into a frown. "What's wrong? Have you heard from Hermione? Is she back?" She asked, twisting her body to look at him over the back of the couch, a look of worry on her face. His Aunt always knew when Hermione had been sent out on a mission, not only because his mood changed and he did nothing but worry, but he always told her, too.

"That's the thing," he said, feeling nervous and wondering how she'd react. "She's here." Her eyes widened. "It's one of the things she can do," he explained. "Anyway, she's just got back from a mission and she's injured."

"Oh Goodness," she exclaimed, standing from the couch and making as if to head to his room, but he stepped in front of her. "She's fine, she's been treated and she's healing, but she's asked if she can stay here tonight. She doesn't want to be alone at her apartment and there's no one at the compound."

"Of course she can stay the night," she said.

"Thanks, May," he breathed out, knowing that he'd feel a lot better in knowing that she was under the same roof as him and he'd be able to pick up on symptoms of her condition worsening. "I'll let her know and then I'll grab a blanket and sleep on the couch, she can take my bed."

May chuckled at him and shook her head. "You don't need to sleep on the couch, Peter, I trust you. If she's healing from an injury you're not going to be up to anything, are you?" He felt his face flush. "But if you _are_ having sex, I hope you're being careful."

Peter suddenly had a coughing fit, his chest tightening as he struggled to breathe. "May!" He protested.

"Don't you 'May' me, Peter. I was your age once."

"Oh God," he muttered, looking down at the ground.

"I did date before I met your Uncle. I _know_ what you teens get up to when there's no adult supervision."

"May, please!" He cried.

"I know we've already had the 'talk'. Now that you have a girlfriend, I just want to make sure you're being responsible," she said.

"May!" He begged.

"Just be sure you're careful," she said, thankfully, _finally_ dropping the topic. "Does Hermione need anything? Maybe I should check on her," she said, her eyes darting down the corridor and towards his bedroom door.

Peter took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I think she just needs sleep, she couldn't even stand without falling over," he answered. "She's probably going to sleep late."

"If she's injured she needs her rest, I'll do my best to be quiet so I don't wake her in the morning."

"Thanks, May," he said, giving her a grateful smile.

"You should get back to her, make sure she doesn't make her injuries worse," she instructed.

Nodding, Peter made a quick detour to the kitchen for a glass of water before he returned to his bedroom, closing the door behind him and seeing Hermione being exactly where he'd left her.

"May's fine with you staying," he told her, crossing the room and putting the glass of water on the bedside table and she let out a relieved breath.

"Do you have something I can wear to bed; I didn't think to grab my bag."

Nodding, Peter quickly retrieved a t-shirt before handing it to her, feeling his heart pounding at the thought of her changing in front of him, but it seemed that didn't matter as with a wave of her wand, her suit, socks, boots and mask were gone and replaced by the t-shirt he'd given her, it burying her small frame with the sleeves falling down to her elbows and the hem of the t-shirt not far above her knees. He thought she looked adorable, especially with her messy wild hair spilling over her shoulders.

"You need sleep," he told her, helping her to climb onto the bed and covering her with the blanket when she laid down, slipped her wand beneath the pillow and she faced the wall.

Peter watched her, his eyes darting between the space beside her and the hard floor. Whilst he and Hermione had 'slept' together before after falling asleep on the couch at her apartment several times, they'd never shared a bed and he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Peter," she said softly. "Get in, I need a cuddle."

Taking a breath, he was careful when he climbed onto the bed behind her and crawled under the covers, not wanting to jostle her and hurt her further. His chest pressed up against her back and she reached for his hand, twining their fingers together and pulling his arm to wrap around her, just below her ribcage and away from her injured stomach. His other arm slipped beneath her, cushioning her head and his head tilted forward to press against her shoulder, the scent of vanilla surrounding him and feeling the warmth of her soft body against him.

"Do you need anything? Are you hungry? In pain?"

"No," she said quietly. "I took a Pain Relief Potion, for the most part, it just feels numb, unless I move too quickly and then it hurts like hell. I should be better after getting some rest."

"If you do need anything, just let me know," he said before falling quiet.

~000~000~000~

Peter startled awake when he felt a nudge against his stomach. His eyes squinted out of tiredness and when he realised it was still dark out, he twisted to look over his shoulder at the alarm clock, seeing only a few hours had passed since he'd fallen asleep and he'd made sure to stay awake until Hermione's breathing evened out and then he let himself relax and follow her into slumber.

A hitch in Hermione's breathing drew his attention and he turned his eyes back to her, seeing her shifting in her sleep, slowly growing more restless. He heard her heart rate slowly increasing, her breathing speeding up with her chest rising and falling and he winced when her elbow connected with his ribs.

He carefully pulled his arm out from beneath Hermione and pushed himself up until he was supported on his elbow, and he released his hand from Hermione's, her not having yet let it go despite her sleeping and the time that had passed. Bringing his hand up to her shoulder, he gently rolled her onto her back and she let out a groan and he stared down at her in the darkness, seeing her eyes moving beneath her eyelids and his hearing picked up on muttered words leaving her mouth, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.

She grew restless, her body twitching and shaking, her head moving from side to side on the pillow. Her brow furrowed and he shifted the blanket off her a little more, feeling that she was unnaturally warm and when he did, he saw that her hands were clenched into tight fists by her sides.

"No..."

His eyes snapped up to her, his brow furrowing.

"Please... Stop..." She groaned, her hands twisting into the bed sheets and her body arching off the mattress. "It's not real... It's a fake... I swear..."

He felt the understanding of what he was witnessing hit him in the face like a garbage truck. She'd mentioned suffering with nightmares in the past and he remembered finding her in the corridor at the Avengers' compound.

His hand reached out to touch her and in hindsight, he probably shouldn't have tried to wake an ex-soldier. A gasp sounded from her and her body lurched forward until she was sitting upright and the only reason she hadn't accidentally head-butted him was that his speed and reflexes had kicked in, allowing him to move out of the way before she could.

He didn't know how because he hadn't seen her grab it, but she held her wand in her hand, gripping it tightly. Her breathing came out in pants, her chest rising and falling and he could see a thin sheen of sweat breaking out on her forehead. She sat ram-rod straight with her eyes shut tightly and her jaw clenched. He pushed himself until he was sitting up and cautiously, he brought his hand to rest on the small of her back, feeling her startling in surprise before she released a slow breath and she turned her head to look at him, her eyes finding his in the darkness of the room.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "You mind if I use your bathroom?"

Peter slowly nodded and she flung the blanket off her legs before climbing over his legs and off the bed, leaving out his bedroom door, him noting that she moved a lot easier than she had a few hours ago. She was only gone a few minutes and when she walked back into his room and closed the door behind her, he shifted over in bed so she didn't have to climb over him again, this putting him closer to the wall than the door. When she reached the bed, she slipped her wand under the pillow and climbed in beside him, laying down on her back and staring up at the ceiling, and he laid down beside her, doing the same.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She let out a sigh and reached up, pushing her hair out of her face. "No," she shook her head.

"How am I supposed to help you if I don't know what's bothering you?"

"You don't need to know what's bothering me, just you being here for me helps. The things I witnessed, the things I was forced to do, the things that happened to me, they're traumatic and I don't like talking about them, I'm not ready to yet. But I promise, someday I'll tell you everything and I won't hold anything back."

"Alright," he said, knowing that he shouldn't push her, the fact she'd said she'd tell him at all was something he hadn't expected from her. "I know it's only been a few hours but how's your stomach?"

"Healing," she answered and she turned on her side to face him, so he did the same until they were looking at each other in the darkness of the room. "It still feels a bit sore, but it should be fine by tomorrow evening, I just need sleep," she sighed.

She shifted closer to him and he lifted his arm, curling it over her waist and pressing his hand against the small of her back and she tilted her head forward, it resting against his chest.

He could very easily get used to sleeping beside her.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count: 21

He wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but he wasn't going to complain.

Three weeks had passed since Hermione's injury and her staying the night in his bed. In that time they'd been able to see each other a little more than usual as Hermione had officially handed in her notice at the hospital and as of a few days ago, she no longer worked there, meaning she spent most of her time at the compound and the rest of it with him, and even Ned sometimes, too

It was Friday and rather than going home, he'd gone straight to Hermione's apartment after school. She'd been tasked with informing him of a few new protocols for when at the compound, and afterwards he'd done his homework whilst she appeared to be doing research into modern technology, which he could understand given what she and Tony were working on. She'd made them dinner, some British dish he'd never heard of but he did admit was quite good. Afterwards, he'd finished the rest of his homework and Hermione had put her book down before they watched TV and snuggled together on the couch.

Before he knew it the TV was forgotten, they were kissing with their hands wandering and he'd carried her to her bedroom, setting her down on her bed and she'd fisted her hands into his t-shirt, pulling him to lie on top of her.

He could feel the heat of her body beneath his, his heart beat in his chest trying to break free of his ribcage, his ears pounded with the sound of his blood swarming through his body as it all rushed south and his head grew fuzzy.

Her hands were everywhere, running through his hair and tugging on the strands, buried beneath his clothing, gripping at his back and shoulders and her hands and fingers tracing his skin, pulling and grasping at the fabric of his t-shirt. For someone whose senses were heightened, it was almost too much to handle. She tugged at the hem of his t-shirt before pulling it up his back and when she reached his shoulders, he pulled his mouth from hers and sat up, pulling it over his head and dropping it to the floor.

Hermione's eyes glazed over as she took in the sight of his muscled abdomen, one of the perks of him getting his abilities. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, it matching his own. Her breathing was laboured, her chest rising and falling, her curls spilling over the pillow and messy as he'd had his hands in it earlier with the soft strands curling around his fingers.

He knew that things between them would be different, all indicators were pointing to it leading to them having sex for the first time and though he was nervous having never been in such a situation before, the look Hermione held in her eyes was enough to calm him.

She let out a slow breath and her eyes moved to lock on his before she reached out, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him down until his body covered hers once more and they were kissing as if the future of the world depended on it. His hands trailed over her hips and up her sides, brushing the curve of her breasts and he felt her hands move to grip his, dragging them down her stomach and slipping them beneath her t-shirt, giving him permission to explore her body a little more.

He let his fingers trace the soft skin of her stomach and as he let his hands move a little higher, he felt his thumbs brush over raised skin. He didn't bring notice to it, understanding that it was probably a scar she'd gotten when in battle, and he let them wander a little higher. He hesitated when he reached her bra but Hermione dug her nails into his shoulders and arched her body into him, encouraging him to continue with his exploration of her body.

He had no idea what he was doing so he was sure to be careful when he let his hands cover her bra-clad breasts, briefly noting he felt raised skin once more but not bringing attention to it. He squeezed experimentally and she let out a moan, feeling a little more confident he did it again, his palms brushing over her nipples in the thin fabric of her bra and she tore her mouth from his, her head falling back onto the pillow and a sigh leaving her. Figuring he was doing something right, he grew more confident and let his head drop, his mouth descending on her neck and heading straight for the weak spot he knew she had just beneath her ear. Her hands tugged at his hair and her legs shifted, hooking around his waist and pulling him closer to her, a strangled sound leaving him when her denim-clad centre rubbed against the hardened length restrained by his jeans.

He was a little surprised when he found himself on his back and with Hermione straddling his hips, his arms being pinned to the bed on either side of his head by her hands and she stared down at him. Had her eyes darkened?

He kept his gaze locked on hers, his breathing heavy and he swallowed when she sat up, reaching for the hem of her t-shirt, her hands gripping the fabric and she slowly, teasingly dragged it up her body, revealing her body to him inch by agonising inch. As soon as the fabric cleared her head, his eyes immediately locked on her breasts held in the lace white of her thin bra, and with each breath took her chest rose and fell. He was at a loss for words.

"Is it my scars?"

Giving himself a mental shake he was able to drag his eyes up to hers, seeing her biting her lip.

"Scars?" He questioned. She raised an eyebrow, looking amused and so he let his eyes fall down to her abdomen, where he noticed the large raised scar that almost seemed to cut her in half.

It started almost at her right shoulder and travelled diagonally down her body, running down the valley of her breasts, snaking under her left breast and then stopping just shy of her left hip. It was a strange purplish-white colour despite it looking to have healed well; he'd say it was a few years old. He also noted what looked to be a burn scar between her collar bone and left shoulder, an almost circular shaped scar on her stomach which looked far more recent, leading him to believe it was a result of her being shot a few weeks ago, and she had a collection of smaller scars, about eight or nine, close to her right hip. He let his eyes move back up her body, lingering on her breasts for a moment and then returning to her gaze.

"I'm going to be honest," he said and she seemed to suddenly grow nervous. He didn't like it. "I didn't even notice them until you pointed them out, I was kind of distracted." She snorted at him, her nerves seeming to fade away. "I wasn't expecting you to be flawless, no one's perfect and I know you survived a war and no one does that without getting some kind of scar. I still think you're beautiful."

"Nicely handled," she said, looking down at him amused. "You're curious, aren't you?"

"A little," he admitted.

"The bullet wound and burn are pretty obvious, the scars by my hip, I jumped out of a second story window, didn't have a soft landing. The big one is a result of Dolohov, the wizard that tried to kill me when I was sixteen, he's the one that killed my parents and the one Nat shot. Satisfied?"

He was going to reply but he wasn't that disappointed when she prevented him doing so as she lowered her chest to his and took his mouth in a kiss that almost made him forget his own name. His hands smoothed over the warm skin of her back, her hair tickled him as it fell over her shoulders and her hands alternated between tugging at his hair and smoothing over his chest and stomach in-between them. He felt them come to a stop at his belt and she pulled back to look at him, her eyes questioning.

Still feeling nervous about what was going to happen between them, he nodded, granting her permission and she sat herself up, unbuckling his belt, pulling down the zip on his jeans and unfastening the button. He swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest and his hands moving to rest against her hips. She looked up at him, a slight frown pulling at her brow and her hands moved away from his jeans, one pressing into the mattress beside his shoulder and the other resting over his heart, feeling his heart pounding against her palm and she leaned forward a little.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" He questioned confused.

"You're nervous," she said, watching him carefully. "I know you, I know your facial expressions and right now, you’re nervous but you're trying to hide it. Do you want me to stop? Am I pressuring you into doing something you don't want?"

"No!" He said, his eyes widening a fraction and being horrified that she even thought herself capable of making him feel such a way. She was just as respectful of his feelings and wishes as he was of hers. "You're not pressuring me into anything," he promised. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Why?"

He felt his face heat up and he cleared his throat. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really, no," she replied, shaking her head a little.

"You must've noticed my lack of experience kissing girls when we first started dating."

She frowned slightly. "Actually, I hadn't." He looked up at her a little surprised. He _knew_ he'd been rubbish. "You want my honesty, well, I got the feeling you were a little nervous and that's why I took charge of things, but I never thought it was because you were inexperienced. Honestly, you were a better kisser than Ron ever was." He blushed. "I promise I'm giving you my honest opinion. Anyway, are you trying to say you're a virgin?"

His face burned hotter. "Yeah," he muttered.

"You know that's nothing to be ashamed of, right? I'm not a virgin, but I'm not all that experienced either. I can count on both hands the number of times I've had sex, maybe six or seven."

He frowned a little. "Then why aren't you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous because I'm confident with the decisions I've made since being with you. Sometimes I regret losing my virginity to Ron, sometimes I don't, but I know that I'll _never_ regret doing anything with you because I trust you implicitly, and you're a hugely important part of my life." He stared up at her, processing her words. "If you want to stop things here and now, that's fine. I don't want to push you into anything you're not comfortable with."

"No, I'm fine," he shook his head.

"Okay then," she said, her mouth pulling into a smile. "You want me to take charge?"

He breathed out slowly. "Nope," he said, a noise of surprise falling from her mouth and being muffled by his when he sat himself up, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him as he kissed her, his tongue moving into her mouth to tease her the way he knew she liked.

She let out a sigh and her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands burying in his hair and tugging on the strands. He let his hands wander over the soft, warm skin of her back before he turned them, lowering her down onto the mattress and hovering over her. He pulled his mouth from hers, letting it trail kisses down her cheek and throat, moving to her neck and shoulders and her hands tugged a little harder at his hair when he nipped at her skin and his tongue soothed the sting, the way she did to him often. He moved his mouth lower, kissing over her collar bones and leaving her breasts for the time being, he moved to her ribcage, nipping gently and a moan fell from her lips, his ears ringing and a shiver running down his spine.

Spying her scar, he had the sudden urge to kiss it and he didn't hold back, his mouth and tongue placing little licks and kisses against the slightly rough skin tissue and she let out a noise of surprise, her legs moving to hook around his hips and her hips jerking forward searching for friction, but there was nothing to greet her and she let out a noise of impatience. A smile pulled at his mouth and he felt himself growing more confident, her hands tugging at his hair and pulling a chuckle from him.

"I swear, I _will_ kick your arse in training," she breathed.

"You always do," he muttered against her skin, letting his eyes drift upwards and seeing her head tilted back, her eyes closed and biting at her lip, her chest rising and falling and her body arched up. He supposed he was doing something right.

Moving away from her scar for the time being, he let his lips move across her stomach until he reached the waistband of her jeans.

"It's fine," she breathed out, seeming to know without him even having to ask.

He pushed himself up and she released her grip on his hair, her hands moving to unzip and unbutton her jeans and she pushed them off her hips, lifting slightly to get them over her bum and he moved to pull them off the rest of the way, dragging them over her ankles and dropping them to the ground along with her socks and their t-shirts.

He looked back to her, feeling himself take a breath to calm himself. Her thighs were just as pale as the rest of her and her skin looked just as soft, though he noted a burn scar on her left shin and what looked to have been a stab wound on her right thigh, that also not looking as old as the others so he assumed it was either done during towards the end of the war, or she'd been injured when on a mission and not told him so he wouldn't worry about her.

His eyes darted to her underwear, they were lace, too, but they didn't match her bra as they were a dark pink colour. His eyes moved to scan her entire body, her laid out before him in nothing but her underwear, her wild hair surrounding her like a halo, her eyes dark and locked on him, her chest rising and falling with her sped up breathing and pale, soft skin begging to be touched.

She reached up and pulled him down to her, claiming his mouth with a kiss that stole his breath and made him lose focus. He found himself on his back once more, Hermione's mouth moving away from his and trailing kisses across his cheek and down to his throat, her lips sucking at the skin and he was sure she'd leave a bruise once she was done. Her teeth nipped at his jaw and his hands gripped her hips tightly when her lips and tongue soothed the slight sting before she pressed kisses to the underside of his jaw, a groan leaving him and unable to stop his hips from jerking forward, bumping against her and she let out a breathless moan.

Her hands moved to his jeans once more and this time she didn't ask and she didn't need to as he lifted his hips to help her pull the denim down his body and over his feet, taking his socks with it and dropping them to the floor, which meant they were both left in only their underwear. He pulled her back down to him and turned her onto her back as his mouth claimed hers, his body covered hers and their hands wandered. His heart pounded when he felt her hand creeping down his chest and towards the waistband of his underwear, and just when he felt her fingers slip beneath, they were distracted.

Emergency sirens sounded in the distance and they pulled back from each other, their heads and eyes turning towards the window. He let out a sigh and Peter had never felt more disappointed or annoyed, but he knew it was a risk. They were superheroes; their schedules could never be written down on paper and adhered to.

Hermione looked up to him, looking both amused and disappointed. "Off you go, Spider-man."

"I don't want to leave you," he admitted.

She smiled up at him. "You've a job to do, go be the hero I know you are, I promise I'll be here when you get back."

"I don't deserve you,"

"You do," she shrugged. "But I understand, after all, for all you know Fury might call me in later and we'll find ourselves in this position again, but right now, you're needed."

He sighed before climbing off her and quickly leaving her bedroom to grab his suit from his backpack that he'd left in her kitchen. Within less than a minute he was suited up and he headed back into Hermione's bedroom, seeing that she hadn't moved from the bed.

"Be careful," she told him, "I don't want to have to heal you when you get back."

"No promises, I don't know what I'm up against until I get there," he said, moving over to her window and opening it enough that he could climb out. He knew he had to be careful, sunset wasn't due to happen for another hour and he didn't want to risk anyone seeing him leaving Hermione's apartment.

"And you won't if you don't get out."

He snorted at her, giving her a mock salute and he let his mask rise from his suit to cover his face and he jumped out the window just as Hermione threw a pillow at him.

~000~000~000~

He wasn't sure how long he'd been gone, an hour, maybe two, and by the time he arrived at Hermione's apartment he didn't bother trying to hide as it had long since grown dark and no one would see him. He knocked on the window as to not startle her and he climbed in, closed the window behind him and let his mask retract into his suit.

She wasn't in her bedroom but he could hear that she was in the apartment, he just wasn't sure where, so he took the moment to observe his surroundings for the first time. The room was dimly lit by two black lamps that sat on the white bedside tables that stood on either side of the bed, and Peter realised it was one of the biggest beds he'd ever seen. It looked to made of some kind of wood and it was painted white, the headboard pressed up against the back wall. The covers were dark in colour and the blanket looked thick and warm, and it was partially turned down. The walls themselves were dark with silver accents to help add a little colour, and the carpet was dark, too. Opposite the bed sat a white vanity table and a matching chair, and white curtains were drawn back from the windows, there being five in total; a larger one which he'd climbed out of and two smaller ones on either side. He spied a closed door opposite him and he assumed it was likely the closest which would explain the lack of furniture, and he noted the bedroom was bare like the rest of the apartment.

Finished with his observation, he decided to go in search of Hermione so she knew he was back, but as he made for the door he heard her footsteps approaching and she stepped into the room, stopping at the sight of him.

He suddenly grew nervous again. He could tell she'd recently showered, her hair looked damp, her skin still flushed from the heat of the water and her smell of vanilla was stronger than ever, swarming the air until he felt himself go dizzy. She carried a towel in her hand which she'd been using to dry her hair and he swallowed when he saw what she was wearing. His t-shirt. The one she'd peeled off him and he'd left behind. It was too big for her; the sleeves falling down to her elbows and the hem landing just a bit lower than mid-thigh, but he couldn't stop staring. There was just something about seeing her in his clothing.

Their gazes locked and he wasn't sure how to proceed. The way they'd left things was a bit awkward and he wasn't sure what to do next.

"Well, hey, Mr. Superhero," she teased, slowly taking a step towards him.

"Hey," he replied, his eyes watching her.

"So, what was it?"

"An apartment building on fire," he replied. "I managed to get those the fireman couldn't reach out before the building collapsed."

"Well, that's very impressive," she said, dropping the towel onto the vanity table and taking another step towards him. "I can see why you were gone for so long."

"Well..." He swallowed and shifted on his feet. "I stopped a car thief, a mugger and helped an injured woman to the hospital on the way back."

"You've been very busy, you must be tired."

"I...er... Tired? Nope, I'm fine, wide awake, you'd think I'd drank a dozen energy drinks, but no, completely fine...Not tired in the slightest," he rambled and her mouth twitched in amusement.

"That's good to hear," she said, and before he knew it she was stood in front of him, her eyes locked on his and her hands were pressed against his chest, him feeling the movements of her fingers tickling his skin beneath his suit. "I've got to say, Spider-man, this suit's working for me."

"What?" He blurted out.

She gave him an amused smile. "The suit, I approve," she tilted her head to the side and bit her lip. He swallowed. "It's _very_ tight and as your girlfriend, I feel it's my duty to have a good stare every now and then, and it doesn't leave much to the imagination. But as much as I love seeing you wear it, what do you say we get this off you and continue from where we left off?"

He nodded and brought his hand up, hitting his palm against the spider emblem in the centre of his chest and she raised an eyebrow when his suit was no longer glued to his skin, but baggy and hanging off him.

"Alright," she said amused, reaching up on her tiptoes and pressing her mouth against his, distracting him as her tongue moved to part his lips and her hands came up to his shoulders, curling around the edge of his suit and pulling it down his arms and body.

He pulled his hands free and helped her to push his suit off his hips were it fell to the ground and he kicked his legs and feet free, leaving him in his boxers. His arms curled around her and pulled her against him whilst she turned them and guided him back towards the bed. When his calves hit the edge of the bed they pulled back from each other and quickly climbed on to the bed, pulling the blanket further out of the way and Hermione pulled him down on top of her, her thighs cradling his body as they kissed. His hands slipped below her t-shirt and gripped at her hips before he froze above her, not feeling the fabric of her underwear.

"You're not wearing underwear," he muttered, pulling back to look down at her in surprise.

"No, or a bra either, why would I bother to put them on when I'd only have to take them off again?" She responded. "You're nervous again, aren't you?"

"A little," he admitted.

"You shouldn't be, and I'll prove it."

She reached for his right hand, clasping hers around it and then dragging it down in-between their bodies. His breath hitched when the felt the heat of her centre brush against his hand and then she suddenly pressed it against her until his fingers slipped through her folds and his eyes widened when he felt the wetness of her arousal. His face flushed as he looked down between their bodies and then back to her.

"That's why you shouldn't be nervous. We've only kissed and you've gotten that reaction from me. So, you're confident in your ability to help people and you're confident in your school work, show me some confidence in this."

"Okay," he breathed out. "I can do that," he nodded. "Confident, be confident," he muttered to himself.

"I'll help you, it's easy," she told him, giving his hand a nudge until his fingers slipped through her folds once more, getting coated in her arousal and they both took a deep breath.

He kept his gaze locked on hers, allowing her to manipulate his fingers and teaching him what to do, luckily for him he'd always been a fast learner and a good student; his grades proved that. So it didn't take him long to find her little bundle of nerves and put pressure on it, a gasp falling from her lips and her hips jerking forward, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Now that he'd found it, he experimented with different pressures, movements and rhythms, noting which ones affected her and how and filing it away for future use. Barely minutes later, her breathing was laboured, her thighs squeezed his hips and she was biting at her lip, trying to keep her gasps and moans from being released but failing. He felt her hand trying to push his lower and he got the message and did as she wanted. He shifted his hand and kept his eyes on her face as he found her entrance and he slipped a finger into her, feeling her warm, wet, tight channel surrounding him and gripping his finger tightly. She gasped and arched off the bed, and he took a slow breath, trying to absorb it all. If it felt that way with only a finger, he could only imagine how it would feel when they did have sex.

She was tugging on his hand and he calmed himself, letting her control the movement as she rocked her hips against him. She pushed down on his finger and in understanding he was careful when he slipped a second finger into her, being surprised by the loud moan that fell from her mouth, and she tried to push his thumb towards her little bundle of nerves but couldn't at the odd angle, so he reached for it, pushing down on it. She let out a breathless cry and her body arched into him, his fingers moving deeper into her.

She seemed to lose focus and she removed her hand from his, allowing him to do the rest by himself and he didn't want to disappoint her. He felt her hands reach out and settle on his hips before they tugged at the waistband of his boxers and before he could process it, her hand had slipped beneath and was wrapped around his hardened length and she was working him up.

It felt so different to the times when he'd done it himself, after all, he was a teenager and he could admit –not willingly, though- to having masturbated in his life, especially to the thoughts of Hermione being in similar situations to the one they were in now. Her hand was small and soft and warm, and she gripped him tightly but not painfully so. She twisted her wrist and ran her nails teasingly over him, and she swiped her thumb over the tip to gather the leaking liquid to use as lubrication to better aid with the movement of her hand. It was all very overwhelming to his senses.

He grew so distracted by what she was doing to him, he'd stopped with the movement of his hand and she rocked her hips insistently and dug her nails into his hip, bringing him back to focus. Only a few minutes passed by and he knew if he let her continue touching him it'd all be over for him, so he reached between them and pulled her hand free of him. She let out a sound of protest but was too busy being lost in the feelings he was causing her.

He applied a little more pressure and twisted his fingers experimentally inside of her and then he felt her pulsing around him, so he did it again, and again and again, and then she let out a breathless gasp, her walls clamping down on his fingers tightly, her body arching into his and he could feel her thighs shaking against his hips. She sank back into the mattress, a thin sheen of sweat breaking out on her forehead, her eyes closed, a smile pulling at her mouth and her face slightly flushed. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful and it was something he'd never get used to seeing.

He pulled his hand from in-between them and shuffled a little to get himself more comfortable as he stared down at her. Her eyes fluttered open, her browns orbs glazed over and a dazed look in her eyes.

She let out a breath. "See, confidence?"

"Confidence," he nodded slightly.

"Great, now come here," she said, reaching for him and pulling him down on top of her as she kissed him. He discreetly tried to wipe his hand as he grasped the fabric of her t-shirt in his hand but she chuckled against his mouth, letting him know he'd been unsuccessful. "Alright, we've waited long enough, pants off..."

"I don't have anything with me... I never expected to be doing this with you and..."

"Peter, it's alright," she smiled softly. "We don't need it, I'm on the Contraception Potion and it's one hundred percent effective. And I'm clean, I got myself tested after I found out about Ron cheating on me, I haven't been with anyone else. Trust me, you won't care, it'll feel a lot better without condoms anyway."

Nerves creeping in once more, he pulled back from her far enough that he was able to pull his boxers off and his erection sprung free, and whilst he did that, she pulled her t-shirt over her head, dropping it to the ground. All his nerves flew out the window when he stared down at her naked body. Her hair wild and messy, her face and chest lightly flushed, her pale skin contrasting against the dark sheets and her scars standing out. She was beautiful.

"You okay?" She asked him.

"Huh?" He answered, too busy staring at her naked chest and watching the movement as she breathed.

"You're fine," she said, sounding amused.

She reached for him, dragging him down on top of her, his erection brushing her stomach and she blindly reached for the blanket, feeling it covering his body and it helped to fight off the chill in the room. She kissed him until his nerves were forgotten and her hand slipped between them, grasping him and gently pumping her hand over him.

He felt her shift beneath him, her thighs parting a little more to better accommodate his larger frame and she guided him towards her centre. His hand moved to wrap around hers and he pulled back to lock gazes with her as the head of his length nudged her entrance. Taking a breath, they both guided him into her, his breath hitching as he slipped into her slowly until he couldn't move anymore. A gasp fell from her and her hands moved to grip at his back, and his head tipped forward, burying against her neck as he breathed deeply, his hands clenching into fists on either side of her head and gritting his teeth.

It was all far too overwhelming and he wasn't sure how to process it. It felt so good, she was so tight and warm and soft that it was almost painful for him and he needed a moment to get used to the feeling.

Her hands started to softly run over his back, her fingers dancing across his skin in slow, soothing patterns that helped to calm him.

"I know everything's different for you, that you're over sensitised," she spoke softly against his ear. "So don't feel as though you have to rush, take your time to process it, I'm not going anywhere. Literally, 'cause you're on top of me and preventing me from doing so."

He breathed out a laugh against her neck and it gave him something else to focus on. He pulled his head back and looked down at her and she smiled up at him softly. He lowered his head, catching her mouth with his and he braced himself on his forearms as he pulled his hips back and slowly moved forward, repeating the movement. With every few thrusts, he experimented with changes in his speed, or angle, or force, taking note of how each one not only affected him but Hermione, too.

Her hands had slipped around his back and hooked over his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin and moans and breathless cries being caught in his mouth every time he thrust into her. Minutes later he let instinct take over and he lost all thought as he focused on chasing the release that was eluding him, he could feel it creeping up behind him but he had to catch it. He shifted his hips and in response Hermione's body arched up into him, letting him move into her deeper and her muscles clamped around him tightly. That was it. That was what he'd been waiting for.

His movements grew erratic and he pulled his mouth from hers, his face burying in her neck as he found his release that ended with a muffled groan of her name against her skin.

He collapsed on top of her, his face remaining buried in her neck, his breathing coming out in pants, his heart pounding in his chest, his head fuzzy and Hermione's hands ran through his hair, down his shoulders and back and back up, repeating the process.

"God," he breathed out and Hermione let out a laugh. "That was..." he trailed off, not even being able to describe it. With his sensitivity to everything around him, things for him always felt more intense than it did for others and sometimes it was overwhelming and he didn't know how to process it. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked down at her, getting caught in her gaze and she smiled up at him. "You didn't..."

"No, but that's fine," she answered. "It was your first time, I know how sensitive you are and it's going to take time for you to get used to this. But it doesn't matter; you took care of me before so I don't feel cheated."

"I do," he frowned. "I feel guilty."

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you were selfish and only thought about yourself."

He shifted his body, pulling away from her and he moved to lay on his side beside her before he hooked his arm around her, tugging her closer to him and rolling her onto her side so they were facing each other.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Taking care of you," he answered, his hand dropping down to her thigh and lifting it to drape over his hip, giving him more room to drop his hand in-between them and his fingers slipped through her folds, brushed over her nub and he slipped a finger into her.

He watched her face, the way her head tilted back, her lips parted as she breathed out and her eyes fell shut. Her hand twisted into the sheets beneath her and her other hand reached out, finding purchase on his waist and she squeezed tightly, her nails digging into him. A shiver ran down his spine and goosebumps erupted over him.

He shifted slightly, slipping a second finger into her and he reached up with his thumb, putting pressure on her nub the way she'd shown him. A gasp fell from her and her eyes flew open, getting caught in his gaze.

"You're a really fast learner," she breathed out, her teeth biting into her lip to try and hold back a moan but it broke free and his mouth pulled into a smile.

He felt her hips moving against his hand and he twisted his fingers inside of her, searching for the spot that would send her flying over the edge. Her nails dug into his skin a little harder, her mouth dropped open and her skin flushed a light pink, from her face right down to her chest. He'd never get used to the sight she made, he was sure of it. Her hips rocked a little faster, her breathing sped up and her gasps and moans became more frequent and seemed to be getting louder.

"Peter..."

She was close, he could feel it in the way she was pulsing around his fingers and he was determined to push her over the edge. He leaned forward, his mouth latching onto her throat and moving towards her little weak spot, just as he found that special spot inside of her. She clamped around him tightly, her nails digging into him and a loud, breathless gasp fell from her lips.

He pulled his head back to watch her fall apart and it was something he'd never forget. Her hips slowed to a stop and he pulled his hand away from her, not knowing what to do he wiped it on the bed sheets and then settled it against her hip, his fingers gently drumming out a rhythm against her skin.

"I've got to say, Spider-man," she breathed out. "You beat Ron in every way imaginable; personality, intelligence, capabilities, as a boyfriend, kissing _and_ sex."

His cheeks flushed. "You don't mean that," he said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I do," she said, her eyes opening and looking a little glassy. "I've never lied to you and I never will. You made me orgasm twice and with no experience beforehand, Ron had experience before we got together and sometimes he couldn't even make me orgasm at all. So take my words to heart and be more confident in yourself. It may have been your first time but for me, it was the best sex I've had. And for an ego boost, you're _definitely_ bigger than him."

He wasn't sure how to feel about her words, embarrassed, surprised, confident, smug? He felt a little bit of each.

He saw her hand reach for something beneath her pillow and she drew back with her wand. He didn't quite know what she'd done after waving it and muttering beneath her breath, but given that he felt cleaner, he'd guess it was something to do with that.

"You alright?" She asked him, slipping her wand back beneath her pillow.

"I'm good, you?"

"Never better," she replied, shifting a little closer to him and he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her waist. "What time do you have to be home?" Hermione asked, her eyes closed and her head tilted forward to rest against his chest.

"May's gone away for the night with some friends; she's not due back until tomorrow evening."

He felt her mouth pull into a smile. "So I have you all to myself for the next twenty-four hours?"

"Unless one of us gets called away," he nodded.

"Don't jinx it," she said, lifting her hand to lightly slap at his chest and he chuckled at her. "So, are you staying the night?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"Of course I want you to, I always sleep better when you're with me," she replied and a smile pulled at his mouth. "We should probably take a nap," she said, sounding sleepy

"Why?"

"Now that we've gotten past the awkward stage of seeing each other naked and having sex for the first time, we've just opened up a whole world of possibilities, we can even get a bit creative; between my magic and your abilities, sex between us will never be boring."

Peter felt his face heat up at her words and knowing without even looking at him, she laughed before tilting her head to press a kiss to his jaw and she snuggled against him, both of them falling asleep with smiles pulling at their faces.

~000~000~000~

As Peter stepped out of school and headed down the steps with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his hands folded into the pockets of his hoody, he was more than surprised to see an expensive black sports car parked at the side of the curb, right outside the school, and he was even more surprised when Hermione stepped out from the car and smiled at him over the top of the car roof.

"Watch it, Penis!"

Peter stumbled and almost tripped down the last few stairs and he turned to his left to see Flash Thompson, the bane of his existence, smirking at him as he descended the last few steps and he was followed by a group of jocks who laughed and shoved him, too.

He could practically feel Hermione's narrowed gaze and he turned towards her, seeing he'd been right. Her eyes were narrowed on Flash and his friends, her brow was creased and she pursed her lips, not looking the slightest bit happy. Sighing, he made short work of the last few steps and though he probably shouldn't be, he was surprised when she closed the car door, rounded the car and walked towards him.

He knew she had something planned as she stopped right in front of Flash and his posse. He saw the way Flash and the others looked to Hermione in surprise, their eyes widening as they took in her figure, her dark denim jeans hugging her ass, hips and ankles, and her t-shirt tight and fitting to her frame, showing the curve of her breasts and waist, and her wild curls hanging down her back, her pretty features uncovered.

Peter knew he had no reason to be jealous but that didn't stop the feeling from surfacing when he saw the way they were eyeing his girlfriend, and he wasn't the least bit surprised when Flash stepped in front of Hermione, smirking down at her.

"I haven't seen you 'round here before," he said.

Hermione looked to him bored and Peter admitted he did kind of hope that Hermione took him down a peg or two, and hopefully without embarrassing him in the process, but he knew that probably wouldn't happen. She loved to tease him.

"No, I don't suppose you have," she replied.

"British? I wasn't expecting that."

"No, I don't suppose you were."

"What's brought you here?"

"And I should tell you that because?"

"What's with the hostility?" Flash asked, still not relenting with his smirk, probably thinking Hermione was just playing hard to get.

Hermione looked to Flash and then her eyes darted over to him, a bright smile pulling at her mouth and her dimples showing. Peter saw Flash look over his shoulder, a look of surprise settling over his face.

"Peter," she exclaimed happily, certainly drawing the attention of his peers.

He couldn't find it in himself to care, especially when she darted around Flash and hurried over to him, jumping towards him and he caught her in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He almost laughed at the look on Flash's face but having Hermione in his arms after almost a week without seeing her stopped him from doing so and he buried his face in her neck, her scent of vanilla surrounding him. She pulled back from him but took his hand in hers, twining their fingers together as she beamed up at him.

"When'd you get back?" He asked, smiling down at her and reaching out to push her hair out of her face, she leaned into his touch.

"Not too long ago, I came straight here, I'll tell you the details later and it was my first solo mission, so I've got lots of gossip."

He chuckled at her and nodded, knowing they shouldn't discuss the details of her mission in public. Whilst they hadn't seen each other in a week because Hermione had been at the compound, they'd still spoken to each other several times a day. But three days ago she'd been sent out on a mission which meant she wasn't allowed to contact him until the mission was over and she was back on US soil. He hadn't known she was back and her showing up at his school was a surprise he more than approved of.

"Where'd you get the car?" He asked, gesturing to it with a tilt of his head.

"Tony," she answered and he nodded, the car looked familiar to him and now he knew why. "We're working on a few experiments, I suggested a beat up ford or beetle, but you know Tony, he only works with the best even if that means it's going to end up at the scrap yard, but whatever, it's his money," she shrugged and he chuckled. "Anyway, I thought I'd surprise you."

"Well, this is a surprise I'm happy to have," he replied, smiling down at her.

"Hey, Penis!"

Peter let out a sigh and Hermione's smile was wiped from her face, a less than pleased look replacing it.

"Yes, Flash?" He questioned, looking to the larger boy as he approached them, his posse following behind him.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" He asked, deliberately looking Hermione up and down and smirking. Peter had never wanted to punch someone so much. "Is she a relative of yours?"

Peter bit his tongue. "No, this is Hermione, my girlfriend," he answered. Flash's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

"Peter, will you wait for me by the car, I feel I need to have a chat with this acquaintance of yours."

Peter eyed her carefully before slowly nodding, releasing her hand and making his way over to the car and standing beside it. He saw Hermione step forward, her arms crossed over her chest and a sweet smile on her face. When she wore that look it didn't bode well for anyone. He tried to listen in to what she was saying, but there was too much noise to single out her voice alone, so all he had to go on were Flash's facial expressions and that didn't help him much.

Hermione reached up and patted his bully lightly on the shoulder before she turned and walked away, heading towards him until she stopped before him.

"What did you say to him?" He asked her curiously, looking down into her big brown eyes, then up to a wide-eyed, mouth hung open, eyebrows high on his forehead, Flash Thompson.

She smiled up at him and he raised an eyebrow. "I really don't think you want me repeating that," she said. "It's better to leave it to the imagination, but now he should leave you alone."

"Bullying's part of high school," he told her.

"I know, I've had my fair share of bullies over the years, even punched one in the face when I was thirteen," she responded, a fond smile pulling at her face and he felt his eyes widen in surprise. "Now, I've something to ask of you."

"Alright," he said, not sure if he should be nervous or not.

"Kiss me,"

He looked down at her a little confused but he did lower his head, his eyes closing briefly as he pressed his mouth to her soft, warm lips in a chaste kiss and then he pulled back from her.

"Peter, _kiss_ me," she breathed out.

His eyes locked on hers before he reached out, his hands settling on her hips and his fingers pressing into her over her clothing. He jerked her forward and she stumbled into him, her hands landing on his chest and catching her fall and his mouth twitched at the way her breathing hitched and he heard her heart rate increase; he did so love to see the effect he had on her.

He lowered his head towards her slowly, teasingly, until she grew impatient and she stretched up on her tiptoes, her mouth pressing against his hungrily. His chuckle was soon cut off when she nipped at his lip in warning and then she soothed the sting with a swipe of her tongue, before parting her mouth in invitation. He took it, his tongue meeting hers as he pulled her further against him, his arm wrapping around her and holding him to her tightly. He felt one of her hands grip the fabric of his sweater and the other moved up towards his neck, getting tangled in his hair and tugging on the strands.

A groan left him and was caught in her mouth and feeling her smiling against his lips, his hand moved from her hip and down to her ass, giving it a light swot and she startled against him, tugging a little harder on his hair. His hand stayed on her ass but slipped into the back pocket of her jeans, and his arm moved up, his hand cradling the back of her neck and his fingers getting tangled in her soft curls and angling her head a little better.

A sigh left her and his mouth pulled into a smile when her hand released its grip on his sweater and instead moved to slip beneath his clothing, her hand pressing against his bare stomach and her fingers tickling his abs.

He knew they were both getting caught up in each other, especially when he felt his body reacting to her and he heard whistling and catcalls, and though he loathed doing it, he pulled his mouth from hers and kept his face close to hers but further enough away that he could look down and see her expression.

Her eyes remained closed a little longer than his did and she let out a content sigh. Her cheeks were lightly flushed, her mouth looking a little redder and plumper and when she finally opened her eyes to look at him, her brown orbs had glazed over. He felt quite pleased with himself. His confidence had only increased since he and Hermione had started having sex, and now, almost two months later, he knew exactly how to get to her, how to make her weak-kneed and lost for words, and he enjoyed doing so.

"Now _that_ is how you kiss a girl," she breathed out and his mouth twitched into a smirk when she leaned her body against his, pushing his body back into the car behind him. "And it'll certainly stop you from being bullied."

He briefly looked up, seeing many of his school peers whispering between themselves and staring at him in disbelief, because it was such a surprise that dorky Peter Parker had a girlfriend, but not just any girlfriend, someone as beautiful as Hermione.

"Merlin! I missed you," she sighed, her head dropping forward to lean against his chest.

He chuckled. "You were only gone for three days."

"Are you saying you didn't miss me, too?" She asked, lifting her head and raising an eyebrow.

"Like crazy," he nodded, a smile pulling at his mouth when he saw her biting her lip.

"You know, I love it when you wear these sweater vests. You look..."

"Like a dork?" He interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmmm," she hummed. "But a _sexy_ dork." He snorted at her. "I'm being serious, seeing you like this just does something to me," she said, pushing her body flush against his. "I don't know if you know, but I'm a bit of an academic myself."

"Is that so?" He muttered, his eyes locked on hers.

"Hmmm, I swear, if you recite the periodic table to me I'll climb you like a tree, and given my fear of heights, that's saying something. I'm considering doing it right now just because of this," she tapped his chest and he felt his face flush. "Is your Aunt home?" She asked, her eyes suggestive and he felt his own heart rate pick up and he swallowed and took a deep breath when her hand –still beneath his clothing - moved down to rest against the waistband of his jeans.

"No," he shook his head. "She said she was going out for dinner with some friends and then going to see a movie. She won't be back until late, especially if she gets a few drinks in her."

"Do you have any homework or studying to do?" She asked.

His mouth twitched in amusement; she was always so careful she didn't interrupt his school work as she believed academics to be highly important and she didn't want to be the cause of his grades slipping.

"No," he shook his head. "Homework's to read a few chapters from a book I've already finished, and there's a report due next week but I've done that, too."

Her mouth twitched. "You're so much like me that it actually scares me sometimes," she said and he chuckled at her. "So, do you want to get out of here?"

"And do what?" He asked, pretending to be oblivious.

She smiled at him and tilted her head slightly. "I'm sure we can find something that will be _pleasurable_ for both of us."

A shiver went down his spine at the way her breath ghosted over the skin of his neck and he took a deep breath.

"So, Mr. Superhero," she muttered, "Your place or mine?"

He looked down at her and she smirked up at him, knowing she had him right where she wanted him.

"Yours it is," she said knowingly.

Whilst he loved being with her at her apartment without any chance of being interrupted, he loved it even more when she was in his room because then his bed sheets also seemed to smell like her. That was, until his Aunt washed them and he had to find a way to sneak Hermione back into his room long enough to leave her scent over his sheets once more. But she was the same, except it was with his shirts.

When he went over to her apartment to 'study' or work on some 'superhero stuff,' he was always sure to take an extra shirt with him because she always stole the shirt she peeled off him. If he returned home wearing a different shirt and his Aunt noticed, she didn't say anything. If his supply of t-shirts and hoodies was quickly dwindling down, she didn't mention it either.

"Let's go," she said, reaching up to press a kiss against his neck and he groaned when he felt her teeth gently nip at his skin and her tongue darted out to soothe the sting.

She pulled back from him, having to physically pry his hand off her ass because he didn't want to let go and his eyes watched her as she rounded the car and opened the driver's side door. Clearing his throat, he opened the passenger's side door and climbed in, but he frowned when Hermione shut her door and his eyes followed her movements as she walked back over to Flash and the group of jocks that surrounded him and she stopped in front him.

There weren't as many people nearby and the noises surrounding him had quieted, meaning he could probably hear what she was going to say. He hoped it wouldn't be embarrassing.

"You can make fun of my boyfriend all you want," he heard her say. "But, don't be jealous that's he's the one that's getting laid tonight. And let me tell you, he's _very_ good at it."

Peter wasn't sure if he should be mortified or surprised, if he should be smug –after all, that comment was quite the ego boost- or if he should dig himself a hole and bury his head in it, or if he should laugh or cry. He felt his face flame red and he shifted on the leather seat when Hermione returned to the car and Flash and the jocks were all staring at him with the most stunned expression he'd ever seen in his life.

She climbed back in the car and he turned to look at her, his own eyes being wide, his face red and his mouth parted. He tried to speak but all he managed was a gasping sound.

"You okay, Superhero?" She asked innocently, fastening her seatbelt and turning on the ignition. That same gasping sound left him and she laughed. "Wow, it's not often I have you lost for words, but now I'm pretty sure they won't say a bad word against you, in fact, they might just worship the ground you walk on, and it's the least you deserve," she said. He blinked at her slowly. "Anyway, you know we're expected at the compound this weekend for training exercises, right?"

He nodded slowly, managing to break free of his shock just enough that he was able to fasten his own seatbelt.

"Yeah, Tony called yesterday to tell me, so I was kind of hoping you'd be back from your mission by then, I mean, they wouldn't have training exercises without you there."

Hermione nodded. "I'll pick you up after school on Friday and apparate us over."

"I'm on a field trip to MoMA, so I might be back late," he answered.

"That's fine," she replied. "I'm not expecting everyone to be there anyway. Nat, Cap and Bucky went to Wakanda a few days ago and aren't due back until Monday. Clint's with his family, Wanda and Vision still haven't made an appearance at the compound; I can't even remember when I last saw them, maybe a month ago? It's looking as though it's just going to be us, Sam, Tony and Rhodey. Why they couldn't take Sam with them I don't know," she sighed. "Anyway, are you up for being a little adventurous?"

He took a deep breath and refused to look at anything but her. "When?"

"Good answer," she smirked. "I was thinking about sneaking into your room at the compound and seeing just how many surfaces are a suitable replacement for a bed," she answered. "But, we can always get in a little practice tonight."

"I swear if you don't drive I'm going to have a heart attack."

She laughed at him before she reached over, pressed a kiss to his cheek and then she settled back in her seat, pulling away from the school.

~000~000~000~

He didn't know what was happening to him. He wasn't even sure if he could remember all that had happened in the last several hours.

He'd been on the school bus for a class field trip. He'd been replying to a text Hermione had sent, asking if he'd wanted to see a little more of her magical world, which of course he did. What person wouldn't want to see the world of magic, especially after witnessing what he had with the dragons? He'd been smiling at her reply of how jealous Mr. Stark would be once he learned of where she was taking him and that they'd have to avoid the compound because he'd be crying and complaining for weeks.

And then everything went to shit.

He'd felt it before he saw it. A shiver had gone done his spine, his body erupted into goosebumps, everything in his being just screamed 'Danger! Danger!' And then he saw it, a giant space donut in the sky.

After that everything just seemed to be a blur. There were aliens attacking the city, Mr. Stark fighting alongside wizards that weren't actually wizards, and Bruce Banner had finally made an appearance after being missing for months, and after all of that, he still didn't know where'd he been and to make matters worse, he couldn't seem to Hulk-up when they needed him the most.

The alien-thing had been one of the strongest opponents he'd ever faced and he'd received a few blows that had definitely bruised. He'd been instructed to chase after the wizard-non-wizard and stop him from being abducted by the aliens, which had him nearly falling to his death thousands of feet above ground, getting a new and improved suit despite the one he had only being a few months old, and getting trapped in space on an alien spaceship as a stowaway.

Mr. Stark hadn't been happy after discovering him there, Peter believed he'd more than made up for it with his plan that allowed them to capture the alien, which ultimately led to his death, but they'd still been trapped on the spaceship.

He wasn't quite sure how they'd gotten into a standoff with a bunch of aliens and an alien-human that had pointed an alien-gun-thing at his head, but all he'd thought was 'God, Hermione's going to kill me.'

All he knew was they were allies and the leader of the aliens didn't think Thor was handsome. What kind of person didn't think Thor, the God of Thunder wasn't good looking? He'd honestly found that more surprising than he had learning of what they were up against.

Mr. Stark had a plan, Peter thought it'd been a good one but the other guy, the leader of the aliens, seemed to be an idiot and to have a problem with someone else being in charge even if that meant the chances of success were maximised.

Before he knew it they were fighting a giant alien that looked like a raisin, who wanted to wipe out half of the universe with a golden gauntlet and shiny magical gems. And they failed.

He'd begged Mr. Stark to save him, to stop it from happening. He knew what was coming and he wasn't ready for it, he wasn't ready to die, to leave his Aunt May and the others, and Hermione. He couldn't leave her, not when she didn't know how much she meant to him and how happy she made him.

He wasn't ready to give up the chance of having a life with her. Peter wasn't stupid, he knew he was young and that most couples didn't tend to last once they left school and grew up. He knew most 'first love' relationships didn't last and you almost always got your heartbroken. But that didn't stop him from wanting a life with Hermione, that didn't stop him from seeing them still being together five, ten, twenty years down the line.

He was young, still a teenager, and he and Hermione hadn't even been together a full year yet, but he knew Hermione was 'it' for him. He could _feel_ it. They weren't like most teenagers; Hermione was a magical witch and an ex-child soldier turned Avenger, and he was a superhero and soon to be Avenger. No one understood them the way they did each other, no one would be able to handle the strains their jobs would put on a relationship the way they did, no one would be able to understand the responsibility, exhaustion and the scars that came with it, not like they did. He and Hermione may have been young in age, but with the things they'd faced and continued to face every day, they were far more mature than any teenager had a right to be, sometimes it even seemed as though they were the adults when the rest of the Avengers were messing around and acting childish.

No one could make him laugh or smile the way Hermione could. No one had the ability to calm him and offer him comfort and reassurances the way Hermione did. No one understood him the way she did. No one defended him the way she did. No one could make him feel confident and powerful, but nervous and shy the way she did.

He was a teenage superhero and he knew that he wanted to have little magical-superhero babies with Hermione. He wasn't ready to give up the chance of having that with her.

But, as he laid on the ground in Mr. Stark's hold, he knew he wouldn't be making it back to earth, or back to Hermione.

He could feel it taking over. The cold settling into his very bones, sweeping through his body and clutching at his heart. The darkness invading his mind, clouding his thoughts and memories but he refused to forget Hermione. His nerves were on fire, his skin burning and tingling. His stomach knotting painfully. He could smell blood, sweat and death from all around him, and all he heard was silence.

It was probably best he died in space; if Hermione got her hands on him after learning of his space trip he was sure she'd make his death so painful he'd still feel it when he was buried six feet under. His mouth twitched the slightest bit and he closed his eyes, feeling a tear leak from the corner, trailing down his cheek and hearing it hit the dusty ground beneath him.

It was coming.

He opened his eyes, not wanting to die alone.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, staring into the horrified eyes of his mentor. "Tell Hermione I love her."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Page Count: 17

His head was pounding, his ears filled with the sounds of battle cries, explosions and weapons clashing. He swung and leapt and flipped his way around the battlefield, taking out as many aliens as he could whilst helping his fellow fighters and trying to stay alive because if he died twice, he dreaded to think what Hermione would do to him.

He had to be careful of the spaceships and explosions, of the arrows and spears that soared through the air, but most importantly, of the dragons.

Dragons soared through the sky, flames of vivid reds, bright blues, vibrant greens and fiery oranges taking out dozens of aliens at once, letting out terrifying, blood-curdling roars of fury as their massive wings carried them effortlessly as they glided above the battle and plunged to the ground, gripping bodies in their clawed feet and carrying them off.

There was only one person that could've been responsible for the powerful, deadly creatures that were helping them to fight for their continued survival. Without the dragons, things would've been a lot harder than they already were. Thanos and his army had no idea what they were but he'd soon learned they packed one hell of a punch. Though he knew he wasn't the only one surprised to have seen them, for him and the Avengers who'd known about their existence, it wasn't as bad, but for the rest of their army, well, that spoke for itself.

As he continued to fight his way through the battlefield, he found himself falling to the ground after a spear cut through his webbing, but he'd managed to land on his feet and taking a second to take it all in, he stood there. He took in the rubble and bodies and fire and prayed that it would all be over soon, he prayed that he'd get to see Hermione again.

And as if right on cue, a shiver ran down his spine and his body tingled. He could _feel_ she was nearby. Even with the scent of blood, sweat, dirt and death surrounding him, he could smell that sweet vanilla scent that accompanied her.

He saw her. She stood across from him on the other side of a crater that held the bodies of dead aliens and spaceship rubble. She fought fiercely, beams and bright flashes of light flying from her wand continuously and so fast he could barely keep up. Bodies dropped to the ground, explosions sounded, rubble was blasted and aliens fell to the ground at her feet.

She wore her suit, it clinging to her like a second skin and contrasting against her pale complexion. Her hair was wild and tangled about her face like the fierce lioness she was, her mask had fallen from her face, her eyes blazing with fury and determination. Her clothing had rips and tears, her boots covered in dirt and the golden lioness emblem stood out in the dim lighting. He could see the cut on her forehead, the cut on her cheek and the scrape on her chin, but she otherwise looked to be injury free. She looked beautiful, fierce. She looked like an Avenger fighting for everything that was good in the world, fighting to protect it.

Time seemed to slow as she dropped to the ground in a crouch and a burst of magic like he'd never seen before shot out from her wand like a firework display, taking out every alien within twenty feet of her.

He saw her release a huge breath as her head dropped back, looking up to the sky and with the loud and many noises that surrounded him, he couldn't hear her laugh, but he saw it and he knew what she was laughing at. A particularly aggressive looking dragon swooped down over her head, a burst of fire releasing from its mouth and taking out the hoard of aliens that had been running for her after seeing her take out so many of their army, and the wizard riding it let out a joyous 'whoop'.

She shook her head and at that moment, her eyes locked on him. He saw them widen, he saw her mouth drop open and she slowly rose from her crouch, her wand held in her hand and paying no attention to anyone or thing but him. He let his mask retract into his suit, showing her that it really _was_ him.

He wasn't sure who moved first, but all he knew was that she'd ran and took a leap right off the edge of the crater and he used a nearby downed spaceship to shoot some webbing and he was swinging out towards her, catching her mid-fall before she landed in the crater.

His feet had barely hit the ground before her arms were wrapped around his neck, her hands burying in his hair and she was reaching up on her tiptoes, her mouth pressing against his forcefully and her tongue immediately seeking entrance past his lips.

To him it was Heaven. They were in the middle of a war zone, fighting for the future of the universe, aliens and people were dying around them, explosions rattled the ground and fire breathing dragons attacked from above, yet they stood there, wrapped up in each other without a care in the world.

It'd been two months since he'd 'died,' at least that's what the wizard-non-wizard had told him before he'd found himself in a war zone, and Hermione was certainly kissing him as if he'd been gone that long, as if she were afraid he'd disappear if she ever stopped.

It was getting harder to breathe, both through Hermione refusing to release his mouth and the smoke inhalation, and despite not wanting to, he pulled his mouth back from hers and buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent.

"I love you," he rushed out, holding her to him tighter, not caring if he was squeezing the oxygen from her lungs, all that mattered was that he had her and he wasn't letting her go even if he had to fight off Thanos by himself. All that mattered was that he told her how he really felt.

"I love you, too, so, _so_ much," she said instantly, not even seeming to take a second to process what he'd confessed. "I can't believe I almost lost you," she spoke, not being able to hide the pain and anger in her voice.

"I promise, I'll _never_ leave you again."

As they stood in each other's arms, he became aware of the no longer roaring dragons, the explosions stopping, the battle cries dying down and Hermione must've noticed, too, as she pulled back from him but her hand found his as they both took in their surroundings.

The aliens...They were disappearing. They were turning to ash and blowing away in the wind. But not just the aliens, the rubble of the spaceships, the weapons and the alien corpses, too, disappearing until only humans and dragons remained.

He looked down to Hermione, catching her gaze and both of them realising it was over, they'd done it. They'd won! He pulled her back into his arms, hugging her to him tightly.

"Tony!" He heard a distressed cry.

Both he and Hermione sprung away from each other and without thought or communication, they both took off in a run, Peter using his hearing to follow the cries until he came upon the sight of his mentor, sat on the ground and leaning against some rubble of the building, his body shaking, his heart beat slowing and his breathing constricted.

He dropped to the ground on his knees before his mentor, his feelings overwhelming him and he felt his eyes welling with tears when Pepper pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek and then stood, being pulling into Rhodey's chest.

"M...Mr. Stark?" He stuttered.

"Peter..." He gasped out, his eyes locking on his and Peter hated the way he could see them dulling, he could see the life leaving them. "I'm sorry..." Was the last thing he said, his eyes closing.

"No," he breathed out, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Peter, move," Hermione said, dropping to the ground beside him and shoving him out of the way, waving her wand over his mentor with beams of light surrounding him. "Lay him down and get his suit off him," she instructed. He blinked slowly, not fully processing what was happening or what she was saying to him. "Peter!" She snapped.

Startling, he grabbed him by the shoulders, putting him flat on the ground and Rhodey crouched down, helping him to rid Tony of his suit, whilst Hermione pulled her bag from a concealed pocket, summoning little potion vials and they hovered in the air, waiting to be taken.

She moved until she sat on the ground, Tony's head propped up on her knees and she reached for the potions, pouring each one into his mouth and massaging his throat to help them go down easier. Peter briefly looked behind him after hearing footsteps, seeing Steve, Bucky, Sam, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Thor and Wanda surrounding them, all looking down at Tony sadly but having faith that Hermione would do everything she could to save him. They all looked a little worse for wear, but then he hadn't expected anything less.

"Please work, please work," Hermione muttered to herself in repeat, before she pressed the tip of her wand to Tony's chest and then his body suddenly arched upwards, Pepper letting out a cry. "No, no, no," she muttered, before Tony's body arched once more. "Damn it, Stark!" Hermione growled. "Stop being so bloody stubborn and do what you're told!"

Tears swam in her eyes and she pressed her wand a little harder against his chest and she brought her hand to rest over his arc reactor. He couldn't take it eyes away from either of them even if he'd tried. She shut her eyes, seeming to take a breath to centre and calm herself, and then there was a sudden pulse of magic that blasted from Hermione's hand and straight into Tony's arc reactor, it being so strong they all shivered at the feel of it brushing against their skin and washing over them. Tony's body arched upwards once more and then fell down, his head landing in Hermione's lap. She opened her eyes, her hands falling down by her sides and her head bowing when nothing happened.

Until Tony gave a sudden gasp and his eyes opened, searching around wildly and Peter heard everyone exhale a matching breath of relief.

"Did we win?" He asked.

"We won, Mr. Stark," Peter replied, smiling widely.

"Oh, great, team Avengers does it again, yay us!" He said before his eyes lifted and he stared up at Hermione.

"I died, didn't I?"

"Nearly, I brought you back," she said, lifting her hand to wipe away her fallen tears. "The stones drained every part of your life force but I was able to kick start the healing process of your cells, you'll probably feel off-kilter for a while, but you just need rest and you'll be fine."

"Nice job, Kitty Kat," he said.

"I swear, Stark, as soon as I get home I'm bombing your island," she promised and Peter could stop his laugh and it mixed in with the laughs of the others.

He frowned. "Seems a bit drastic. I only died for what...Five minutes?"

"You scared the bloody hell out of me," she scowled down at him.

A sudden roar from above drew their attention and they all looked up to see half a dozen dragons soaring high above them with their riders laughing and cheering loudly.

Tony pushed himself up onto his hands and stared wide-eyed.

"Are those fucking dragons? Have they been here this entire time?"

"Yes, beautiful, aren't they?" Hermione replied, looking up with a smile.

Tony's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he suddenly fell backwards, landing on the ground.

"Tony!" Pepper cried, falling to her knees on the floor beside him and taking his hand in hers.

"He's fine, he just fainted," Hermione rolled her eyes, an uproar of laughter chorusing at her words.

~000~000~000~

"What the hell happened?" He asked as he and Hermione walked hand in hand across the battlefield. "The wizard said it was something to do with time travel."

"He's not a wizard," she replied and his mouth twitched in amusement. "I don't know what he is, but he's definitely not a wizard. The power he wields isn't magic, he wasn't born the way he is, and he doesn't have a magical core that is his life force. So whatever he is, he's not a wizard. It took us a month to get Tony back to earth and it wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Carol."

"She's was a surprise," he interrupted, his mind playing back to when she'd saved his life when he'd been tasked with keeping the gauntlet from Thanos.

"She was one hell of an advantage and she didn't half pack a punch," Hermione nodded. "I stayed on earth to help Tony heal and I wasn't in the right frame of mind to go anywhere; after I found out you'd died my magic went haywire and I could barely hold my wand without setting things on fire." He squeezed her hand tightly, hating himself that she had to go through that. "The others killed Thanos but it didn't reverse the damage and he'd destroyed the gems. I wasn't ready to give up, I just couldn't accept that you were gone or that we'd failed and half the universe was wiped from existence. I went to my world where I found Harry and the others were gone, too. It broke me. There's no point in keeping names quiet anymore," she said, looking up to the sky but he knew there was nothing there, the dragons and their riders had disappeared some time ago.

"Charlie, he's my dragon tamer friend. He was the only one to have survived while the rest of the Weasleys died. We came up with a plan and given that my world suffered, too, it wasn't difficult to convince the leaders of my world to give me one of the last timer turners in existence, and then I returned here with a magical time machine."

"You were going to travel in time?"

She shrugged. "Wasn't the first time, I did it for a year when I was thirteen, I had too many classes in school so I had to travel back in time so I didn't miss any of them." He looked down at her, blinking slowly. "Anyway, there's limitations on magical time travel, you can travel back but you can't travel forwards in time, so Tony and I put our brains together to see if we could use magic and technology to do what we wanted. We had a prototype but something was missing, and that's when Scott turned up."

"Who?" He frowned in confusion.

"Ant-man,"

"Oh, the guy that can go tiny _and_ really big?"

"That's him, he's a bit of an idiot, reminds a little of Tony actually. Anyway, we discovered he was able to travel in the Quantum Realm and that time worked differently there. We were able to combine my magic and the technology he had to create a new form of travel. We got everyone together and we split up, travelling back in time to certain points in existence when we'd be able to get our hands on the stones. I was with Nat and Clint, both of them were fighting over who'd have to sacrifice themselves for the Soul Stone and they both almost died when they jumped off the cliff," she said, sounding annoyed. "But I called in a favour with Death... It's a long story, something to do with the end of the war, I'll tell you about it later," she added, seeing his confused look. "Anyway, we managed to get back without injuries and everyone made it back. It turns out though that Nebula was old Nebula who still worshipped Thanos. I've been working with Bruce to try and help him combine his mind with the Hulk's, and though we still have a long way to go, he was able to put on the gauntlet and reverse the damage, at which old Nebula betrayed us and Thanos arrived. Charlie was all too happy to bring some backup with the dragons when I contacted him, and you know the rest."

"My head hurts," he breathed out.

"Hmmm," she hummed, leaning her head to the side to press against his shoulder. "The others were like that when I brought the time turner to them and they learned time travel was possible. Anyway, I see you have your new suit," she said. "How does it feel?"

"A little strange, I'm still getting used to it," he admitted. "You had something to do with the design, didn't you? I can _feel_ your magic. I also noticed a few new features in Tony's suit, too."

"Putting magic and technology together is like water and oil, chalk and cheese, they don't mix and they don't want to, but we're starting to make some headway in working our way around it. There's a few new features of my doing which I'm sure you haven't had time to test out yet, but I'm sure you'll love them. As for the design, I may have asked Tony to make your suit a little more slim-line and better figure fitting."

"Why?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "The slim-line thing I get, but figure fitting?"

She grinned up at him. "You've got a nice bum."

He spluttered, coming to a stop in his walking and she laughed loudly, drawing the attention of those that were in the vicinity, helping to heal those that were injured and taking count of the death toll.

~000~000~000~

The group of misfits all gathered around the 'A' that lay on the ground, half buried beneath rubble and dirt and they stared at it sadly, but they knew they'd be able to rebuild the compound. It was replaceable, his fellow Avengers weren't.

"So, training anyone?" Captain America asked.

"I'm not attending another training session for at least two weeks," Hermione said.

"You're slacking, Kitty Kat," he smirked before he ducked the hex Hermione sent his way.

Laughter rang out from the group of superheroes. Laughter of relief and joy and disbelief.

The Avengers had saved the universe and lived to see another day.

~000~000~000~

Peter lay beneath the covers of Hermione's bed, his body covering hers and cradled between her thighs, her legs hooked over his and keeping him to her and her fingers softly tracing the skin of his back and shoulders.

Whilst everyone had left the battlefield to head home and be with their families, to rest and heal up, he and Hermione had soon found themselves in her apartment and stumbling to her bedroom with their arms wrapped around each other, and it led to a passionate round of sex were they released all of their pent up worry and fear and they grew lost in each other.

"I'm going to marry you someday," he muttered into her neck, his nose brushing over her skin and breathing in the vanilla mixed in with dirt, dried blood and a little bit of sweat.

"I hope you do," she replied, her hands moving to gently run through his hair and her fingers massaging at his scalp. "And with our little family of misfits, it's sure to be entertaining." He chuckled. "And you and I both know Tony won't let us pay a dime and he'll foot the bill, which means it'll be the biggest, most expensive wedding in history. You know, I'm _definitely_ inviting Ron and Lavender, and I can't wait to rub their noses in it."

"Showing off the money?" He asked.

"No, you," she answered. He lifted his face from her neck and caught her gaze. "Ron got a wife and a baby. I got a family I adore despite them being annoying. I got a job that makes a difference in the world and I dread the day I have to hang up my mask. And I got you, someone I love with every fibre of my being. I got a best friend, a lover, a companion, a partner, and most of all, a superhero."

"I love you," he told her, his expressive eyes showing that he meant every word he spoke.

"I love you, too," she smiled up at him. "But don't think I'm letting you get away with your stupid arse decision that led to you being on an alien planet where you died."

"I didn't think you would."

"Not a chance," she said, "Which means you have a lot of making up to do."

"How do I do that?" He asked.

She bit her lip and his eyes darted down to watch before he looked back to her, seeing her eyes looking towards the ceiling, amusement bubbling up within him.

He looked back to her with a raised eyebrow. "Really, the ceiling?" She shrugged her shoulders. "You want to have sex on the ceiling? But you hate heights."

"With a boyfriend like you, I'm sure to get over it. And don't tell me you haven't thought about it, you're not as innocent as you lead people to believe, I know you've got a dirty mind to rival Natasha's." He smirked down at her. "That's what I thought, so, _are_ you going to make it up to me?"

He didn't care what anyone said. In a couple of years, he was putting a ring on her finger, but first, he had to give his Aunt May a call before she had a heart attack worrying herself sick, but chances are, Tony had already told her; he loved to tattle on him and he was a big gossip. He could already imagine the teasing they'd face from their teammates, it was a good job they were scared of Hermione, her arrival being the best thing that could've happened to them and to him.

~000~000~000~

She looked beautiful, absolutely stunning in her specially designed, one of a kind, handmade gown that had cost nearly more than the entire wedding combined, but Tony had deemed that only the absolute best was allowed.

When he'd proposed to Hermione the day he'd graduated college, he'd done it right in front of his Aunt and the Avengers when they'd thrown him a party at the compound. And it was to his embarrassment that no one had been surprised by the shock move. In fact, he'd discovered they'd all had a pool going, taking bets on _when_ –not if- he'd ask her. Tony had his money on it being after he'd graduated school, became an official Avenger and he moved into Hermione's apartment all on the same day. Sam had won, being the closest as he'd bet it would happen a year after he'd started college, though bets did range from birthdays to Valentine's Day, to Christmas.

Before they even had the chance to celebrate Hermione accepting his marriage proposal, Tony had demanded that he'd be the one to pay for their wedding. They'd both refused and declined his offer many times over the months of their wedding planning, but once they'd booked the catering and the music and flowers, they'd discovered it had already been paid for in full by one, Tony Stark. From that point, they both stopped fighting the inevitable. Peter knew that Tony saw both him and Hermione as his own children and with him being a father figure in both their lives, he could understand why he'd felt he'd have to pay for their wedding.

They'd gotten married two years after he'd proposed, their wedding having been postponed nearly a dozen times in that time due to superheroes duties, and as much as he and Hermione loved each other, it was their job to protect people. But they'd finally made it to their wedding day without any chaos and disruptions.

They'd gotten married at the compound, a home away from home to them, the place where a group of misfits had become an important part of their lives and they had become their family. They had to keep their guest list small and there were no more than fifty guests in total, them being the Avengers, Fury -who still wore his leather trench coat to the formal occasion-, his Aunt May, Ned and Hermione's friends from her world, the Weasleys and her best friend, Harry. Peter knew she'd had fun rubbing her new life and family in her ex's nose and he hadn't felt the need to stop her, especially when he'd seen the way the wife had looked at Hermione in disgust, from then on he made sure to help her rub salt in the wounds and he'd had fun doing so.

Hermione was dancing with Tony, her lace off the shoulder dress clinging to her figure and flaring out to the ground, her hair pinned back from her face and done up in an elaborate style he couldn't wait to ruin, and the sun shone down on her, the hidden glitter in her dress sparkling. Her scars stood out proudly and he thought her both beautiful and brave for being so confident and willing to show them to the world, especially the disgusting slur on her left forearm.

The day she'd stopped covering it and had shown him it, was the day she came clean about her past, about her capture by the enemy side and about her torture. He'd never felt so furious and he'd accidentally shattered the kitchen table from gripping it too hard. After she told him, she came clean to the rest of the Avengers and none of them had taken the news well.

Tony had blasted so many holes through the walls in the training room the floor above had almost collapsed. Natasha had fired so many bullets, she'd almost wiped the armoury clean. Clint had fired so many arrows there was nothing left of the targets. Wanda had totalled so many cars, it had taken weeks to replace them. Steve had hit the punch bags so hard he'd gone through nearly a dozen of them.

Bruce, despite usually having control of his Hulk form after working with Hermione in a gamma lab, had lost all control and disappeared to a nearby abandoned building, there was nothing left of it when he returned. Sam had flown about the grounds of the compound for a solid six hours and refused to return or speak to anyone. And Bucky, he'd sat in a chair and done nothing but stare at the wall opposite him. He didn't talk, he didn't move, he barely even blinked. It had taken him eight hours to break himself free, having gone into shock as he remembered his own torture. They'd always been close, but that day sealed a bond that would last for life.

Peter gave his head a shake, watching Hermione and Tony as they danced. The music was a distraction as were the talking and laughing guests and he wasn't able to hear what they were saying to each other, but judging by the scowl on Tony's face and Hermione's laugh, he was sure she was winding him up and he chuckled, shaking his head.

He felt a tug at on his jacket and looked down, seeing the little brown eyes staring back up at him. He smiled and crouched down in front of her so they were at eye level.

"Yes, Miss. Morgan?" He asked.

The little girl grinned at him. "Do you like my dress?" She asked him.

His eyes dropped down to the lilac fabric that covered her little form and he smiled, nodding. "I love it, you look beautiful," he replied and she beamed brighter than the sun. "You did very well today, thank you, I know Hermione's very proud of you. She said you're the best flower girl in the world."

Morgan laughed. "It was fun," she said. "Do you wanna dance with me?"

"I'd love to dance with you," he replied, rising to his full height and letting the little girl take his hand and drag him over to the dance floor.

She stood on his feet and beamed up at him as he moved them about the dance floor, before eventually picking her up and setting her on his hip, manoeuvring between the occupants of the dance floor and Morgan laughing loudly as he spun them until she got dizzy.

"I'm dizzy," she giggled and Peter chuckled but stopped spinning, instead just swaying with her hand held in his as if they were slow dancing. "Are you happy, Uncle Peter?"

Peter looked down at her, a smile pulling at his face as he stared into her eyes, so much like her father's.

"I'm very happy, Morgan," he told the almost five year old. "I love Hermione very much, just like your dad loves your mom."

She beamed at him. "I love you, Uncle Peter," she said, hugging him tightly.

He chuckled. "I love you, too, Morgan."

She pulled back from him and her eyes locked on a spot on his shoulder. "Dad!" She called.

Peter turned and saw Hermione and Tony dancing together behind him and he crossed the dance floor over to them. Tony smiled at seeing them approaching and he and Hermione broke apart as he reached out for his daughter, setting her on his hip.

"Hey, Munchkin," he greeted his daughter. "What's up?"

"I was dancing with Uncle Peter."

"You poor thing having to endure his company alone," he replied and Peter rolled his eyes and Hermione sent him a look of warning.

"Ignore him," Hermione told her. "He's just jealous Peter got to see a mermaid and he didn't."

"When I can see a mermaid?" She asked.

"Not until you're older, Sweetie; mermaids are very dangerous, but someday I promise to let you see the Giant Squid at my old school, and you can feed him toast and play fetch with him."

Morgan grinned. "Just you and me, dad has to stay home."

"Traitor!" Tony gasped, tickling her sides and laughter pealed from her.

"I still love you three thousand, Dad," she said.

"You hear that, she loves me three thousand," he said to them smugly.

"I love Aunt Kitty four thousand," she said. Tony's smile dropped from his face and Hermione and Morgan shared a high-five as Peter laughed.

"I think I'm going to steal my wife before war breaks out," he chuckled, reaching for Hermione's hand and pulling her away from them before taking her in his arms and dancing with her. "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?"

"Yes," she replied, smiling up at him.

"And have I told you how much I love you today?"

"Several times," she nodded, amused. "I can't believe we're finally here. It's taken us so long to get to this point, but it was worth it."

"Definitely worth it," he agreed. "So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Parker?" He asked smiling.

"Mrs. Parker, nope, haven't you heard? I'm going by Mrs. Spider-man."

"Mrs. Spider-man? The press will love that," he said amused.

"Well, we are the power couple of the superhero world. We're Mr. and Mrs. Superhero; I think it has a nice ring to it."

He chuckled, shaking his head. Once he'd officially joined the Avengers, he and Hermione more often than not were sent out on missions together and because of that, they were often pictured together. Speculation soon began about the nature of their relationship with the press calling them the 'power couple of all superheroes' and the public chanting for them to 'kiss' whenever they were seen together. After a year they both grew tired and kissed, of course, he kept his mask on to keep his identity hidden, and once that happened, the press and public went wild with having confirmation on their relationship but the novelty soon wore off. That was, until, Hermione had been pictured wearing an engagement ring and ever since the press had been on a 'wedding alert.' It was one of the reasons they were married at the compound, the location being secret and the security tighter than Fort Knox.

"And I've never felt happier," she said, reaching up to press a kiss to his mouth, his mouth pulling into a smile when he heard Sam speaking from behind him as he danced with Natasha.

"I don't like it," the Falcon said, sounding as if he were pouting.

"And what don't you like?" The assassin asked, sounding as though she were rolling her eyes.

"He doesn't get embarrassed any more. Remember when we found out they'd started having sex; he blushed for two days straight! Now he barely bats an eyelash."

"He's not a kid anymore. He's a married man."

"I still don't like it, it's no fun around here anymore."

"I'm sure Hermione will hex you, that'll be fun for the rest of us."

Peter snorted and shook his head, looking down at his beautiful wife. "So, I've been thinking," he said.

Hermione looked at him with a raised eyebrow, recognising the look he wore on his face. "Creatively?"

"Hmmm," he hummed. "I'm pretty sure that between your magic and my webbing and strength, we'd be able to have sex halfway up the side of the Eiffel Tower without anyone knowing or seeing."

"See! This is what I mean. The Peter from five years ago would've never made that comment! I don't like this grownup, married Peter. Give me back the awkward dork!" Sam said, being close enough that he'd overheard him.

Peter turned his head, catching the visibly upset man's gaze, a smirk pulled at his face and he sent him a wink. "You don't want to hear my plans for the Pyramids or the Leaning Tower of Pisa."

Sam let out a strangled cry and Natasha burst into laughter.

"I've created a monster," Hermione shook her head.

"You were right though, in the five years we've been together, the sex has never once been boring."

Hermione bit her lip and a hand came down from his neck to rest against his chest, her finger tapping against his tie, his mouth twitched; he knew that look.

"So, did you pack your nerdiest most hideous sweater vest?" She asked.

"The glasses, too," he said amused and she let out a sigh. "And did you pack your doctor's scrubs."

"Yep, and a replica of my old school uniform, too," she nodded. "This is going to be the best trip to Europe ever, we actually get to stay and see the sights and we're there solely for relaxation and a break away from this madhouse, rather than taking out terrorist cells and mad villains that want to take over the world."

"A few more hours and we'll be in Paris."

"I can't wait," she sighed, dropping her head forward to press against his chest.

"Granger! Parker!"

They both groaned at the sound of Fury's voice; they knew what that meant. Pulling back from each other, they turned to face the grumpy Director and became aware of their group of misfits moving to surround them.

"That's Mr. and Mrs. Superhero to you, Fury," Hermione said, a scowl on her face and her arms crossing over her chest unhappily. "And no, we're not doing it."

"You don't have a choice. We've received word there's going to be a terrorist attack at the Pentagon."

"I don't care, it's my wedding day and we're a few hours from jetting off on our honeymoon. For two years our wedding had to be put off and we never once complained. It's taken us far too long to get here for it to be ruined now."

"They've got a point," Steve spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why can't the rest of us handle it and let the kids have their honeymoon? They've taken more missions than the rest us combined over the years, they're due a break."

"Their skills are specifically required for this one. We need to prevent the attack by infiltrating the Pentagon, taking out anyone involved, disarming the bomb and then getting back out without anyone seeing you."

"We can easily do that," Natasha pointed out. "We're not super spies for nothing," she pointed to herself and Clint.

"I'm getting older in age but I'm always up for breaking into the Pentagon," Clint grinned.

"I can just walk right in," Tony piped up, shrugging his shoulders and setting his daughter down on the ground, giving her a gentle push to go to her mother but she didn't move, rather she stood in front of Clint instead.

"And we have Scott," Peter said. "He's probably the best candidate for infiltrating the Pentagon, he can get through the slightest crack in a window. Hermione would need a photo of a room inside the Pentagon to get us in and even then we still run the risk of getting caught."

"You two are going and that's final," Fury scowled.

"No, we're not," Hermione said.

Peter looked down at her curiously. Hermione had _never_ once refused to take an assignment no matter their plans, their wedding being put off so many times only proved that. He'd lost count of how many dates, birthdays and Christmases they'd missed due to missions, but still, even if it was their wedding day and they were about to jet off on their honeymoon, Hermione still would've taken the mission because it was their job. It was what it meant to be a superhero.

"Yes, you are," Fury crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at her with his one eye.

"No, that's final!" She snapped.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" He asked, looking more surprised than angry, coming to the same conclusion Peter had, and so did the others as they were all watching her strangely.

"I need to be careful."

"Why?"

"It's not just me anymore," she replied.

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You've been with Parker for years, worry has never stopped you from taking assignments before."

"I don't mean Peter," she said, her folded arms dropping down to her sides and a sigh leaving her.

Peter looked down at her confused but then he heard a gasp from Natasha and they turned to look at her.

"No way," she whispered, her eyes locked on Hermione. "No fucking way!"

"Language," Tony warned, his eyes darting down to Morgan before he turned to look at Hermione. "I'm getting bored, what do you mean?"

"It's none of your business," she replied.

"Actually, I want to know, too," Steve said, raising his hand slightly and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'm kind of in agreement with them," Peter gestured to the rest of the Avengers. "What's going on?"

Hermione took a breath, suddenly looking nervous. "I can't be going on missions for a while, I'm benched."

"Because?" Sam prompted.

"Oh for Merlin's Sake," she sighed before looking at up at him, her teeth nibbling at her lip. "This isn't how I wanted to tell you."

"Tell me what?" He asked softly, his hand reaching out to grasp hers, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand comfortingly.

"I'm... Well... I'm pregnant."

"Huh?" He said dumbly, briefly hearing the noises of surprise.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated. "I found out last night."

"You're pregnant?" He questioned slowly.

"I'm pregnant," she confirmed.

A 'thud' had them all turning towards the sound, seeing that Tony had fainted, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Hermione rolled her eyes and Morgan giggled, not looking the least bit bothered about her father being passed out cold on the ground.

Peter turned to look at his wife, the sudden impact of her words hitting him and he couldn't stop it, his face broke out into a wide smile, his eyes lit up and Hermione let out a breath of relief as he grabbed her and pulled her into him, hugging her to him tightly.

They'd discussed having children several times over the years they'd been together and while they both agreed they wanted kids, they both knew it would be difficult with their superhero schedules. They hadn't made any plans because they knew it was impossible and anything could happen to derail them, so they'd come to the decision that once they were married, they wouldn't actively try to prevent pregnancy but they wouldn't actively try for it, either.

They were young, Peter, twenty-three and Hermione, twenty-four. He wasn't sure if they were ready for children yet but if they could manage the missions they did and they were responsible for keeping the world safe, he was sure they'd be able to handle a baby. After all, not only had Tony and Pepper done it, but they had the Avengers and his Aunt to help them; they had more babysitters than anyone had a right to have. So whilst he was a little scared he didn't know how to handle a baby, he did have some experience with little Morgan, and he had Hermione and his family, and he knew they'd get through it together.

"God! I can't believe it," he laughed. "You're pregnant! How? When?" He pulled back from her, seeing a smile of her own on her face and her dimples showing.

"I think it was that time we did it on the ceiling."

"Whoa! Whoa! Information over share, information over share!" Clint called through a laugh and reaching down to cover Morgan's ears. "There's children present, and I don't want you corrupting Sam's innocent mind, he can't take it. Hell! Even I feel like blushing."

Peter looked around him to see the stunned faces of his fellow Avengers, whether that was due to Hermione's words or her being pregnant he wasn't sure.

"When?" He asked. "We've done it on the ceiling far too many times to count."

"Jesus Frigging Christ! I can't take it!" Sam cried, raising his hands to cover his ears.

"I'm a little over eight weeks along, so that would put it around the time we were in Budapest," she answered with a smile.

"Your trip to Budapest happened a _lot_ differently to ours," Clint said, sharing an amused look with Natasha, and Morgan grew bored of Clint covering her ears and she broke free of his hold and scurried over to Hermione, looking up at her.

"Aunt Kitty? Is there a baby in your tummy?"

Hermione smiled down at her. "Yes, Morgan, there's a baby in my tummy," she replied. Morgan's eyes widened and she lifted her hands to press against Hermione's stomach and she brought her hands up to cover the little girl's hands.

In a flurry of movement both Pepper and his Aunt May had joined the group, looking as though they'd ran across the grounds from the refreshments table and over to them. Their eyes were wide as they stared between Hermione's face and her stomach.

"I knew it!" They both exclaimed, letting out squeals of excitement and Hermione let out a huff when she was suddenly crushed between them, but Peter had managed to pull Morgan out of the way before she'd been trampled on.

"Pregnant witch, can't breathe, handle with care," Hermione breathed out.

"Oh dear," his Aunt said, jumping back along with Pepper, the both of them looking at Hermione with teary eyes.

"I've been suspecting for weeks you were pregnant," Pepper said with a smile. "I've never once seen you turn down free food until you did when you came over for dinner."

"And I've never seen you so nauseous at the smell of bacon," his Aunt added.

"Now that you mention it," Peter spoke and they looked to him, "You have been eating a lot of pickles lately. You _hate_ pickles."

"I thought something was off with you last week when you wouldn't eat the pepperoni on the pizza, not to mention you haven't touched any alcohol today, I just thought it was wedding jitters," Natasha said.

"I had no idea I was pregnant," Hermione spoke. "It wasn't until I was working on Bucky's new weaponry yesterday, that I realised my magic was acting strangely. A witch's magic is volatile and unpredictable during pregnancy because she's carrying and is the outlet for two magical signatures, not just one."

"You're having a magical baby?" His Aunt asked with wide eyes, though she'd learned about Hermione's true identity almost three years before, Peter knew she still hadn't gotten used to it.

"It's all but certain I'll have a witch or wizard, but the Pregnancy Charm showed a magical signature, so yes, it's a magical baby. And no, we will not be raising him or her to be an Avenger," she said, looking directly at Fury. "And now you have your reasoning as to why we're not taking this mission."

Fury let out a grumble and shook his head. "Fine, you're benched from active missions, but you're still available for stakeouts. Off you go on your honeymoon and I'll try to keep from calling you in whilst you're away. The rest of you meet in the conference room in an hour for the mission briefing, you leave at dawn tomorrow morning and someone tell Lang before he’s too hungover to dress himself," he said, before turning to walk away.

A groan pulled their attention and they all looked down at Tony, Pepper looking as though she'd only just noticed him and she rolled her eyes.

"I had the strangest dream," he said. "Kitty Kat was pregnant and the world went to hell." They snorted at him. "Why am I on the ground?" He asked confused.

"You fainted," Hermione replied amused.

"Why?" He frowned.

"We've just found out Hermione's pregnant," Peter grinned.

"What the hell! You're a baby; a baby can't have a baby!" Tony exclaimed, pushing himself up off the ground and climbing to his feet.

"I'm twenty-four, Peter's twenty-three, and we're married now, we're hardly babies, Tony," she rolled her eyes.

"But how...When...What..." He asked, lost for words and his eyes darting between his smile, Hermione's stomach and her face.

"Budapest, we happen to have a thing for enjoying each other's company on the ceiling."

"Whoa! Stop! Don't make her repeat it!" Sam cried. "I'm already scarred from what I heard about their plans for their honeymoon, I can't take no more. Please give me back awkward dorky Peter!"

"Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere," Peter grinned, his arm slipping around Hermione's waist and tugging her into his side.

“It’s _sexy_ dorky Peter,” Hermione corrected with a grin of her own. “You haven’t seen him in a sweater vest and glasses.”

"And if you don't mind, I think we better get going or we'll miss our flight."

"You're taking my jet," Tony blinked.

"Then we're leaving so I can spend some time _alone_ with her, possibly on the ceiling."

"Jesus, Mary and God! Stop him!" Sam cried.

Peter smirked at Sam before he shot some webbing at the highest point of the compound, held Hermione to him tighter and he pushed off the ground, swinging them away from their wedding reception and landing on top of the building, out of sight from the others.

"I can't believe you're pregnant," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his forehead against hers.

"Neither can I, and I've had longer to process it."

"I'm happy you're pregnant, we made a deal not to try but not to prevent it, with our schedules it would've been hard to plan a pregnancy, now we don't have to worry. We just have to make sure we keep you and the baby safe."

"And you won't have me for backup like we're used to, so you have to be careful. It's not just me anymore."

"I'll be careful," he promised. "Now, Mrs. Parker, shall we get going? We have a private jet waiting for us."

"It's Mrs. Spider-man," she corrected. "And I thought you'd never ask. This is the next step in our lives together, can you handle it?"

"We're superheroes, we've got this."


End file.
